Twenty-four hours.
Boer fell into a deeper sleep than he had ever experienced.
The moment his mind relaxed completely, the exhaustion accumulated over an entire week surged out of every bone, every muscle, every nerve ending like a flood bursting through a dam, swallowing him whole.
The coral bed was soft and spacious, fitted with a mattress woven from deep-sea sponges and covered with a sheet woven from Moonlight Shell silk.
On the little bedside table, a shell-shaped incense burner smoldered quietly. Its smoke was as fine as gossamer, giving off the sweet, warm scent of ambergris mixed with coral flowers.
At one in the afternoon, Carina had held him and slept for a while. She curled up beside him, her tail wrapped around his calf, her head resting on his shoulder, her fingers threaded through his and clasped tight.
She listened to his steady, slow heartbeat, one beat after another, like the tides of the deep sea, never ceasing.
Later, she gently released his hand and slipped out from under the covers. Her bare feet touched the coral floor, and she glanced back at him.
Carina stood there, then bent down and gently pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"Sleep well," she whispered.
Then she draped on her outer garment, tiptoed out of the room, and left the door ajar.
Boer never reacted at all.
-He was dreaming.
In the dream, his tired eyes were open.
His phone screen was lit, its harsh white light shining on his face. The alarm clock pointed to 6:55 in the morning, its red digits ticking away.
He pressed "Dismiss" with his thumb.
The room was tiny. A single bed, a folding table, a simple wardrobe.
The curtains were gray and could not block the morning sunlight. Light leaked through the gap, casting