She was awfully insistent he stay a bit longer. Did she genuinely miss him? He’d made himself scarce as possible for months now.

Aslan thumbed his inner cheek, then rinsed and dried his blade. Pulled on his robe and let out a closed-mouth, shuddering breath.

Was this the morning?

“You know I can’t say ‘no’ to you, Nisa,” Aslan said, laying on an affection that he still remembered the feeling of as he opened the door.