Awake My Soul

Caedes stirred, his ear flicking under her touch. Jaw clenching as her fingers traced down, the sensation of her muzzle pressing into his neck causing a low rumble from his throat. His breathing remained steady for a moment longer before his eyes snapped open, bright forest green slicing through the dim light to stare at her. He didn’t move, not immediately, but his gaze locked on Mariah with an intensity that bordered on feral. There was no sluggishness in him, no groggy transition from sleep to wakefulness—he was simply awake, sharply so.

“You are restless.” he murmured, his voice low, that of a deep baritone. She had gotten more sleep ever since his discovery of a temporary solution, but still—it wasn’t enough. “Again.”

Caedes shifted, rolling onto his side to face her, his massive frame enveloping her smaller one. His paw raised, claws brushing against her cheek with careful tenderness and barely restrained tension. The motion was as much a gesture of possession as it was affection.