Rory stared at Jasper’s stiff, startled expression for a heartbeat before blinking herself fully awake. The haze of sleep evaporated almost instantly.
What did this guy do now? she wondered groggily. Why does he look like he’s about to be sentenced to death?
His wide, panicked eyes were fixed on her as if she might explode at any second.
Suppressing a yawn, Rory stretched one arm lazily toward him and spoke in a soft, half-asleep voice,
"Jasper... co here. Hug ."
Jasper froze.
In the brief second that followed, his thoughts spiraled wildly, racing through every possible disaster. He had been certain she would be angry—that she would scold him, order him out of the room, or worse... decide she didn’t like him anymore. He had already rehearsed apologies in his head, braced himself for punishnt, even imagined quiet exile, sent away without argunt.
But none of that ca to pass.
Rory simply lay there, propped comfortably against the pillows, watching him with quiet expectation.
Sleep had softened her features, smoothing away every sharp edge and leaving behind an unguarded sweetness that struck him far harder than anger ever could have. She looked warm in the low light, her presence gentle and impossibly inviting. The urge to reach for her—to hold her close and never let go—rose so suddenly it nearly overwheld him.
Jasper swallowed hard.
Before he could gather himself enough to speak, the scales along his lower body began to shimr. With a soft, fluid motion, his serpent tail withdrew, reforming seamlessly into human legs as he stepped forward. He moved slowly, deliberately, as though afraid the mont might shatter if he rushed it.
Bending down, he gathered her into his arms with careful reverence, holding her as if she were sothing fragile—sothing he might lose if he wasn’t gentle enough.
"I’m sorry," he murmured against her hair, guilt weighing heavily in his voice. "I didn’t an to wake you."
Only then did Rory understand.
That’s it? she thought, amused. He was scared because of that?
She rested a hand against his firm abdon, looked up at his striking face, and deliberately puffed out her cheeks in a mock pout, barely holding back a laugh.
"I was sleeping so well," she said seriously. "And you woke up. That’s completely unforgivable."
Jasper’s body went rigid.
"Rory, I—" He tried to explain, panic surging again—
—but she cut him off with a soft laugh and leaned up to kiss him.
The tension shattered instantly.
"Since you were so terrible," she said lightly, "you’re being punished."
His brain short-circuited. "P-punished?"
"You’re staying here," she continued, tugging him closer. "And you’re napping with ."
Honestly, curling up with a handso man beat sleeping alone by a mile.
Jasper stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. His thoughts refused to line up.
"Huh...?"
"What are you waiting for?" Rory said, pushing him gently but firmly down onto the mattress before nestling into his arms herself.
Only then did she rember sothing important.
"You’re about to advance soon," she added quietly. "I just want to sleep for a bit. Nothing else. That’s okay, right?"
Jasper understood imdiately. He nodded, his voice calm but sincere.
"Just a nap is fine."
Truthfully, even if she wanted more, he could restrain himself. He would restrain himself. Absolutely.
Carefully, he flicked a glance toward the floor.
With a thought, he locked Nix and Burnt Dumpling—both of whom he had already unceremoniously dumped off the bed—inside a ntal restraint. They were frozen in place, unable to move or make a sound that might disturb Rory.
Then he wrapped his arms around her fully.
The warmth of her body, the faint scent unique to her, lted the tension he carried everywhere. For the first ti in longer than he could rember, Jasper felt... at peace.
Rory slept deeply until morning.
She eventually stirred because sothing soft and rhythmic brushed against her calf. Blinking awake, she found Jasper still asleep beside her, his features relaxed and unguarded.
At so point during the night, his Dragon Kind instincts had resurfaced—his tail had slipped free and curled loosely around her leg, brushing back and forth in an unconscious, protective motion.
Smiling, Rory reached down and gently patted it.
The reaction was instant.
The tail went stiff as a rod.
She bit her lip to keep from laughing, then pressed her finger lightly between Jasper’s brows. A cool, controlled wave of ntal energy flowed from her light-brain into his consciousness.
Inside his ntal landscape, Rory paused.
It was chaos.
Fire roared across the terrain, molten heat bubbling like lava beneath cracked ground. Thin fractures split the space again and again, threatening to widen at any mont. His ntal power was wildly unstable—far worse than Paros’s had ever been.
Rory’s heart clenched.
How much pain does he endure every day?
And why didn’t he tell ?
She worked carefully, far gentler than she had ever been with Paros, afraid that even the slightest misstep might hurt him. Slowly, patiently, she cooled the flas. The cracks knit themselves closed under her careful guidance.
Thankfully, there weren’t many.
Even in sleep, Jasper reacted imdiately. His body relaxed as if subrged in clear spring water. The tension lted from his brow, and his tail resud its gentle, contented motion around her leg.
When Rory felt herself nearing her limit, she withdrew.
Almost instantly, Jasper stirred awake.
His eyes opened—clearer, steadier than before.
The change was unmistakable.
Realization dawned, and nervousness flickered across his face.
"Rory... did you just perform ntal comfort on ?"
She blinked, confused by his tension, and nodded.
"Yes. Your ntal power was unstable. Why didn’t you tell ?"
Her voice softened. "If I hadn’t rembered just now, I wouldn’t have known you were suffering like that every day."
Jasper honestly hadn’t thought much of it. The pain was familiar—sothing he’d long since learned to live with.
Instead, he scanned her anxiously.
"Are you all right?"
"Why wouldn’t I be?" Rory asked, genuinely puzzled. "It was just a little ntal comfort."
He checked her several more tis before finally relaxing. Only then did he begin to explain, carefully choosing his words.
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