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She looked so peaceful in sleep, sweet and innocent. Relaxed.

She must have been having pleasant dreams, a sharp contrast to his usual—

Wait.

That was what was so different, so wonderfully strange about this awakening.

He hadn’t had a nightmare.

He had woken from a completely peaceful sleep. He couldn’t even remember if there had been a dream at all.

Perhaps he was blessed with empty darkness and simple rest.

It was odd and completely unexpected.

He was certain there had been nights before when the nightmare hadn’t come, but he didn’t remember those nights. Perhaps he chose not to.

Yet every morning, heaviness usually accompanied his awakening, making him tired before he’d even risen from bed.

Now, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he felt truly rested.

He wondered if it was because he’d spent the better part of last night satiating both his physical and emotional needs—something he hadn’t done in more than a decade.

Or perhaps he had eased his guilt a little. Because this time, when he faced the fire, he had managed to save the woman he loved.

Loved?

The thought came unbidden, unexpected.

He lay perfectly still, staring up at the canopy of leaves above them, uncertain if the word was even accurate.

Did he love Leila?

He turned his head again to study her sleeping form.

Her lashes fluttered lightly in her sleep, casting shadows on her rosy cheeks.

She was so warm and soft, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up against her and drift back into slumber.

He certainly desired her. God, how he desired her.

He’d wanted her from the moment they met, and that desire only deepened with every second they spent together. The way she moved, the way she challenged him, the way she fit so perfectly against him… it all drew him in.

She was simply irresistible.

But it was more than that, wasn’t it?

He admired her unbreakable spirit. After everything she’d endured, she kept fighting. She had no interest in surrender.

They had both been through so much. They understood each other without words. When he looked into her eyes, he saw a reflection of his own pain; his own determination to survive despite everything the world had thrown at them.

And yes, she’d tried to kill him. But that wasn’t out of hate, or envy, or any other malice. She was trying to survive.

More importantly, she hadn’t been able to kill him. When the moment came, when she had the chance, she couldn’t follow through.

More than once.

That had to mean something.