Chapter 177

Damon

I woke up before the sun rose, the light barely a promise against the horizon. But I didn’t move.

I didn’t want to move. I didn’t even have it in me to get up.

Because she was still asleep in my arms. She was still allowing herself to give in to me and the peace that she felt by my side.

Sienna’s head rested on my chest, her arm draped over my stomach. Her hair spilled across the sheets, her breath warm and even. And for a moment, just one perfect, fleeting moment, the world outside the walls of this room didn’t exist.

The world outside this house was unreal.

No Giovanni.

No Delilah.

No war.

Just her. Just us.

Against everything and against all the odds. It was the two of us sticking together till the very end.

I brushed my fingers gently through her hair, letting them tangle in the soft strands. Her scent was everywhere. It grounded me. Pulled me back from the chaos that never seemed to let up.

And