Over half an hour passed with Lucian resting his head on Seraphina's lap, appearing completely asleep while his mother remained exactly where she was.
Her gaze never left his face. Again and again, her eyes traced his features, noticing countless subtle differences after his transformation into a vampire.
The sharper jawline, the slightly longer eyelashes, and especially the pale, bloodless skin.
The atmosphere around Seraphina had long since calmed.
The earlier traces of instability on her face had disappeared, leaving behind a serene mother whose cold fingers remained buried within his dark hair, absentmindedly stroking through the strands every now and then.
The library remained completely quiet, so quiet that she could hear every one of his inhales and exhales.
Occasionally, the soft rustle of the open book—the one left on the table—as its pages shifted from an unseen breeze.
Other than that—
Nothing.
Just mother and son.
