Evelyn woke to soft light and the smell of clean sheets.
She lay still for a while, letting her body remember what it felt like not to be drained. The chains were gone. The grey was gone. Outside the window, birds called to each other like nothing in the world had ever been wrong.
Lucian sat in the chair beside the bed, head tilted against the wall, eyes closed. He looked older than she remembered and somehow younger at the same time. The lines around his mouth had deepened, but the tension he used to carry in his shoulders had eased a little.
She watched him breathe until he stirred.
His eyes opened. For a second he just looked at her, like he was making sure she was real.
"You're awake," he said.
"You're still here."
"Where else would I be?"
She smiled, small and tired. "You froze when I kissed you."
A faint color touched his ears. He looked away. "First time. In both timelines."
"I know." She reached over and took his hand. "You came. That's all that matters."
