Chapter 82: Illumination.

Rex hesitated at the door, glancing around Cleo's room as he stepped inside. She was already there, looking at him with her mesmerizing golden eyes, an amused glint hidden in their depths.

"Uh, so you're okay with me being here?" he asked, trying to sound casual but feeling the heat rise to his face.

Cleo tilted her head slightly, her expression calm. "Yes. I prepared this room for both of us to sleep in."

Rex blinked, caught off guard. "Both of us? As in, together? Don't you feel, I don't know... a little shy?"

She raised an eyebrow, her lips curving in a hint of a smile as she turned to remove her hair accessories.

Why would I feel shy, Rex? You and I share the same essence, the same nucleus. My connection to you is as deep as it is inescapable. Sleeping together is simply a way to reinforce that bond. And besides," she added, almost to herself, "it's not like this is the first time we've..."