Chapter 157

• LUXURIA.
• My body felt unnaturally heavy as if I carried the weight of stones beneath my skin. Every inch of me ached—My limbs, head, joints, and... the sharp soreness between my thighs.
• I snapped my eyes open, heart hammering against my ribs. The room around me swam into view: deep, shadowed corners bathed in faint candlelight, the rich mahogany of furniture I knew all too well, and the unmistakable scent of him—smoke, cedarwood, and something darker, uniquely Parthe.