She lay back in her bed, closing her eyes and taking slow deep breaths. Ignoring the sounds of the monitors and the air vents above her.
Staring into the darkness of her eyelids, Ashleigh focused on her heartbeat, her soft breaths, and the rise and fall of her chest.
Slowly the darkness became light.
Around her was the brightness of the sunlight that streamed through the large window. She blinked and looked around the room. The wall she knew would push out to reveal a kitchen, the desk filled with monitors. The large bed they had spent many pleasure-filled nights in.
She stood and looked around the treehouse. A smile spread over her lips.
This was their place. The place where they could shed their duties, the responsibility that weighed down on them and kept them apart. This is where they were just Caleb and Ashleigh, husband and wife, mates.
Ashleigh took a deep breath, holding to the only hope she had.
“Caleb,” she whispered into the air around her.
