Afterward, Nathan and Shiina dressed in silence and sat together on the ruined altar.
Neither of them seemed in a hurry to leave. Perhaps they were resting. Perhaps they simply liked the cold night wind against their skin after the heat they had just shared. Around them, the shattered shrine remained still beneath the dark sky, and for the first time since arriving there, the place felt almost peaceful.
Shiina let out a long breath and leaned back against the altar, her eyes lifting toward the night above.
"I never thought sex could be this exhausting," she murmured. "More exhausting than a fight, honestly."
Nathan looked up at the moon. "Pleasure tends to do that."
