Aria’s POV
Sleep had been a cruel joke. I spent the night tossing and turning, tangled in my thoughts and the weight of Demitri’s presence. He hadn’t even tried to sleep, sitting in that chair like some silent sentinel, watching me with those piercing blue eyes.
It wasn’t just his gaze. It was the bond. The strange, unnatural pull that made my emotions twist into a storm I couldn’t control. I hated it. I hated him. And yet, there was something about the way he was with me—different from how he treated everyone else. Like I mattered.
But none of it compared to Damon.
Damon was my home, my anchor. He loved me for who I was, not for what I could be. He didn’t need me to unlock some ancient magic or fulfill a prophecy. He just... loved me.
The sun was beginning to creep through the cracks
