The light came into the room earlier than either of them was ready for. It was a hard, yellow glare that cut across the foot of the bed and climbed the white plaster of the far wall, showing every mote of dust dancing in the air.
Soren woke first. As usual, the heavy, dead weight of his usual morning fatigue wasn't there to hold him down. He was awake all at once, his mind snapping into focus before he had even opened his eyes.
He noticed it the second he shifted his weight. Eris was still asleep beside him, her head deep in the hollow of her pillow, but the way she breathed was off. It wasn't the slow, easy hiss of a woman resting; it was a short, hot sound, coming from deep in her chest.
Soren sat up, the linen sheets falling to his waist. He reached out, his large hand moving toward her face with the quiet caution of a man trying not to startle a horse. He touched her cheek with the back of his knuckles.
