Liam wasn't sure what he felt or sensed when he woke up. Some lingering soreness in the back of his mind kept his brain groggy. He didn't feel the weakness that stemmed from his very soul, but his first mental functions were nothing short of instinctive conclusions.
'Grace?' Liam wondered, the sensations between his arms triggering that thought. Besides, Grace was the only one with him. Only she could be with him.
Still, the situation was too impossible to belong to reality. Liam hadn't dreamt much since becoming a cultivator, but that had to be it, so he reacted accordingly, not bothering to stir his reason awake.
Liam wrapped his arms around that slender body, one hand savoring her back, the other digging into her silky hair, reaching the base of her head. She was so thin compared to him, as if she could easily break or disappear, so he held her close, shielding her, falling prey to the selfish desire of wanting to trap her with him.
