The air was cold, but her presence always felt warmer than it should’ve been.

You stirred in the bed, only to feel a familiar weight curl around you—Esdeath, pulling you close from behind, her arms tightening like she thought you might disappear if she let go.

“Trying to slip away without kissing me goodbye?” she whispered against your neck, her voice soft and teasing. “Cruel.”

You sighed, already knowing the game. “I thought you were asleep.”

“I was,” she murmured, nuzzling in closer, her lips brushing your shoulder. “Then I noticed the bed got colder… and so did I.”

Her fingers wandered lazily along your chest, drawing little shapes only she knew the meaning of. “You know I can’t stand being away from you. Not even for a minute.”

You turned to face her—and there it was. That dangerous little smile. But her eyes… they held something softer. Something real.

“I scare people,” she said, like it was just a fact. “But you— you let me love you anyway.”

Her hand rose to cup your cheek, thumb brushing just under your eye. “That’s why I’m so obsessed, darling. You saw the monster… and still chose to stay.”

She leaned in, kissing you slow and deep, like she needed to remind you how much she meant it. When she pulled back, her forehead rested gently against yours.

“You’re mine,” she whispered again. Not like a threat this time. Like a promise. Like a prayer.

“And I’m yours, too. Every part.”

And in that rare, quiet moment, Esdeath wasn’t a general, or a killer, or a tyrant.

She was just a girl, hopelessly in love—with you.