Recent content by Ciana

“It feels…” she started softly, her voice caught somewhere between wonder and fear. Her fingers trembled faintly where the sunlight kissed her skin. “Like it’s alive, almost. Like a current running through me, warm and wild and... heavy.” She blinked, her eyes still struggling to adjust. “It...

"You have no idea," she murmured softly, still blinking against the harshness of the light, even in the shade. It seemed almost alive, stabbing through the delicate veil of her lashes. She turned to glance over her shoulder at him, a faint smile tugging nervously at her lips. “I have.. just not...

Ciana had grown used to the rhythm of their days, his absence when the sun was high, his return with stories of lectures and the strange world of the College that she tried to drink in like water after drought. Evenings were her favourite, when he spread his books across the table and translated...

Ciana blinked, tilting her head, golden brows knitting. “A… madame? Is that like a Lady?..” she asked, her voice full of earnest naivety. She clearly had no grasp of what he truly meant, though her expression softened with sympathy as his story unfolded. “Goodness… That must have been...

Ciana had never in her life witnessed such a spectacle at the dinner table. Slowly, almost instinctively, she settled back against her chair and let the tray rest between them, delicately nibbling at the single roasted carrot speared on her fork while watching him in fascination. Amusement...

Ciana’s eyes softened as she took in his dishevelled appearance, realising just how exhausted he must have been. Her lips twitched into a small, amused smile as she smoothed out her skirts, brushing a stray curl behind her ear and nodding in response to his question.. “You should see the...

Her nose still tingled faintly where he’d tapped it, and her eyes danced with amusement at the unfamiliar gesture. No one had ever done such a thing to her before. It was silly and playful and boyish and it left her cheeks warm. He wanted to eat with her, and he thought she was nice. Saints...

Her breath hitched, heat blooming under her skin and painting roses on her cheeks. She knew exactly where his eyes had gone, exactly what he meant without saying it. The air between them seemed to hum with it, charged and unsteady, like the moment before a summer storm. “I…” she began, her...

Her cheeks burned crimson as the reality of what she’d just blurted out came crashing down on her. Gods, she really had read too many ridiculous romance books. She sat up and curled a stray lock of hair around her ear, staring at the floor, shaking her head. “N-no… of course not, I—” she...

She could see the shame he tried to hide. Her fingers were cool and delicate as she turned his face back toward her, the insistence of her touch leaving no space for him to retreat into himself. “I care… You have me…” she affirmed. Her thumb brushed absently across his cheek, slow and steady...

Her brow knit tighter and tighter as she listened, fingertips slowing in their tracing until they stilled altogether. “You really think they’d.. try to kill you?” she asked in a small, aghast voice. The thought alone seemed unreal to her, so far beyond the bubble of her sheltered life that she...

She gave a small smile and nodded, fingers tightening lightly where his still held hers. “I’ll… try,” she murmured nervously. She wasn’t making any promises, just speaking the words felt like saying something out of a storybook. The very idea that she could wield any sort of real magic still...

Her eyes softened, his grin melting something tight in her chest. She laughed, shaking her head, astonished at the idea of her as any kind of shield for anyone. “Oh, I don’t know… you’d be surprised what sort of damage I can do with a well-aimed hairbrush,” she quipped, cheeks dimpling. But the...

She beamed at him, whole and sudden, as if sunlight had found a way past the shutters and settled itself behind her ribs. Gratitude unfurled there, bright, ridiculous, and utterly unashamed. For a breath she simply looked at him, memorising the shade of his eyes, the stubborn line of his mouth...

Her lips curved faintly as her gaze dropped to the hand he’d laid on her thigh. It should’ve scandalised her further, and perhaps it did, somewhere deep down, but more than that, it warmed her. His world was nothing like hers, yet she found herself enjoying the trespass. When he fumbled on...