Chapter 117

LIV'S POV   The first thing I noticed was the cold. It wasn’t a bitter kind of cold, not the type that chilled your bones, but the absence of warmth, his warmth. My hand stretched across the sheets automatically, eyes still closed, expecting to brush against the firm heat of Kaelon’s chest or tangle my fingers in his hair. But the space beside me was empty, deserted. The linen was cold as ice. My eyes fluttered open slowly, squinting against the soft gray light that filtered in from the high windows. My smile faltered. He hadn’t slept beside me all night. I sat up in bed, my fingers absentmindedly tracing the slight dip his body had left in the mattress. Only, there was none. He hadn’t even come to bed. I could feel the irritation bubble in my chest, creeping up slowly, threatening to spoil the serene memory of last night. The way he had held me, touched me, looked at me as though I were the only person who mattered. God, I was so naive. Throwing off the blanket, I swung my legs over t