Chapter 14. The Secret

The snow storm had passed,

Aria stirred awake on the bed, her eyes fluttered opened and she groaned slightly.

Light poured in fragmented bursts through the snow--covered windows. Aria turned her head over to the hearth and frowned. Sometime during the night, the embers had burned out. The room wasn’t cold though. Aria’s heart still felt warm, something deep within her was lighting up, and she knew that it wasn’t going to die out.

She moved again and tried to shift back but stopped. She felt something warm touching her back. It took her a moment before she realized that it was Lucien.

She turned around slowly, careful not to wake him in case he was still asleep. He was.

His breath was even, her cheeks reddened when she realized that his hand rested softly on hers. Aria stopped breathing for a second, she didn’t move, just watched Lucien sleep peacefully. She had gotten used to the sharp edges on his face and the frown that always seemed to be permanently