Morning in Oakhaven arrived with a surreal, golden haze. The sun felt warmer than it should, the light filtering through the inn’s curtains in a soft, dusty pink. Jessica sat up in bed, her hair a silver mess around her shoulders. She felt heavy—not from lack of sleep, but as if her very blood had turned into warm syrup.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlFiOnvnta
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYCd9zjiRp
She looked over at Marin, who was already awake and checking the straps of her gauntlets. Marin’s face was set in a grim mask, her jaw tight.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjoDoJNaHV
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDSZ2Q7WN4
"Did you sleep?" Jessica asked, her voice sounding sleep-thickened and strange to her own ears.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXXZ3V0qb2
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NZdBU6QuS
"Not much," Marin replied shortly. "The sounds from the street... they didn't stop all night. Soft laughter, whispering. It’s like the whole town is sharing a secret."25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1492n1zFNO
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8b0y9m9lj
Jessica nodded, but she couldn't tell Marin about her own night. She couldn't describe the way she had tossed and turned, her skin feeling too sensitive for the sheets, or the way her thoughts had kept drifting to Merek. She felt a deep, pulsing restlessness in her core that no amount of deep breathing could settle.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0s4ET0Sd7
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlQE4TFHbE
Downstairs, Merek was waiting for them. He was leaning against a wooden pillar, staring at the door. When Jessica walked down the stairs, he straightened up so fast he nearly knocked over a chair. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked at Jessica with a naked, startling intensity that made her breath hitch in her throat.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWSn5wUsfv
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8ZNROMWGp
"Morning," he said. His voice was a low growl, lacking his usual playful edge.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSLTzNjzAO
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rcuzJGFBW
"Good morning, Merek," Jessica whispered. She meant to keep walking, but as she passed him, the scent of him—leather, sweat, and something warm—hit her like a wave. She stumbled slightly, and Merek’s hand shot out to steady her arm.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxYn7bW4xz
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsqotDhxWp
The moment his fingers touched her bare skin, a jolt of pure electricity surged through her. Jessica let out a small, soft gasp, her eyes widening. Merek didn't let go immediately. His thumb brushed against the inside of her elbow, and for a second, the world around them seemed to dissolve into a pink blur.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBjqtUaZgu
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMzDe3LNnB
"Careful," he murmured, his gaze fixed on her lips.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9ILmkiuxe
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgRGTDYvgC
"I... I'm fine," Jessica stammered, pulling her arm away. Her skin felt like it was burning where he had touched her.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8YaDeAmBe
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGhfWLGxC9
They spent the day wandering the streets, but the investigation was a disaster. Jessica tried to take notes, but her hand kept shaking. Everywhere they looked, the villagers were lost in each other. Pairs sat on benches, eyes glazed and pink, stroking each other's hair or whispering in ears. The air was so thick with the scent of the flowers that it felt like breathing in perfume.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKnCMBsZk7
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOpoBOSRoZ
By the time evening arrived, the tension between them was a physical weight. The sun dipped low, and the lanterns began to glow, reflecting off the cobblestones in long, distorted shadows.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcAGq1MQ6M
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36C6ZWDewG
"We need to get back to the rooms," Marin commanded, her voice sounding strained, as if she were speaking through gritted teeth. "Now."25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ArezCAbmG
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrby2A8fj5
Jessica didn't argue. She practically ran back to the inn. She needed to be away from Merek’s heat, away from the way he looked at her.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUwqUEZJfz
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUaHOlzhr8
Inside her room, the air was stifling. The lantern on the bedside table cast a dim, amber glow that felt intimate and suffocating. Jessica began to strip off her travel clothes, her movements hurried and clumsy. She kicked off her boots and pulled her tunic over her head, leaving her in just her thin linen underwear. It was practical—the room was a furnace—but as she caught her reflection in the small, cracked mirror, she felt a sudden, sharp spike of vulnerability.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Svv4vf1Fm
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMldFRW72KM
She lay down on the bed, but the sheets offered no comfort. The "Hum" of the town—that low, rhythmic throb from the fountain—was louder now, vibrating through the floorboards and into her bones.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerx8QFi9lA
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWcrAZN5NJ
"Merek," she whispered into the dark. She hadn't meant to say it. The name just slipped out, a soft, desperate sound.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSJJglf7tL
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCaIalqQEO
Her body felt like it didn't belong to her anymore. A deep, heavy warmth spread through her chest and settled low in her belly. She shifted restlessly, her legs tangling in the sheets. Her hand moved instinctively, her fingers brushing against the soft skin of her inner thigh.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0BpPud3OR
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMbWWLEA41
In the cot across the room, she heard Marin shift. Marin was still in her armor, sitting upright, her sword across her lap like a barrier.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt58e2TELnL
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexeQEQSW9Z
"Jessica?" Marin whispered, her voice tight with alarm.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBD7KHqczz8
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHI8THhCnS
Jessica didn't answer. She couldn't. She was lost in a fog of her own making, her breath coming in shallow, ragged hitches. She squeezed her eyes shut, but all she saw was Merek’s face, his eyes dark with the same hunger that was currently consuming her.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5x4DEHiqLq
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0t8FwSUuM
Outside the window, the fountain pulsed a brilliant, terrifying pink. The threads of the artifact were no longer just whispering; they were pulling, dragging Jessica deeper into a night that was only just beginning.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFLk0Wtfuc
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEnDwuDJKv
1234 copyright protection21ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOGpAkXzb2 尼25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQU5b7ncHu