Seraphina's Point Of View
"What..." Charles stammered, his voice losing all its heavy weight, sounding suddenly hollow, almost fragile. The word came out broken, disbelieving, as if he'd heard something impossible. "What did you just say?"
I swallowed hard, the metallic taste in my mouth suddenly turning to dust.
Shit.
The word had slipped out without warning, escaping before I could catch it. My subconscious had apparently packed its bags, crossed the fence, and accepted him as family while the rest of me remained on the frontlines, desperately fighting the inevitable.
The realization hit me like a physical blow… I'd let my guard down, and now there was no taking it back. I braced myself, squeezing my hands into the thick linen sheets to keep from trembling visibly under his stare. Those piercing green eyes burned holes through me, digging into my soul to determine if I was lying.
