Ford

rius's face was

; it disintegrated. For a split second, I saw the real

sical backlas

began to fray. I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood, refusing to let ou

d into absolute rage. A palpable wave of power rolled off him, the oppressive aura of an Alpha demanding submiss

angerous, glowing gold. "Do you have any idea wha

. To shrink back. To sub

on, his bloodline hold over me weakened. His power f

ious gaze wit

y, enunciating each word with precision. "I, Ciara Ford,

stance between us in a blink, his shadow falling over me. H

rled, his face inches from min

y arm from

, it made him stumble back a half-step. He stared at h

oice dropping to a frigid whisper. "And do not

uly lost control of a situation with me. His handso

ning cruel to mask the pain of the tearing bond. "Who would wa

caped my lips. It was a

an eyebrow. "That's a diagnos

a folded piece of paper. I had charmed a young, naive apprentice healer into printing it fo

o the coffee ta

ere the words: "No signs of feral behavior or clinical psychosis. Patient's w

strict. He looked back at me, a new, unsettling emotion in his eyes: suspici

eginning to suspect he

room reached its breaking

ed at the door, his fr

wed by the sound of a k

he had a key

vered ceramic bowl, a perfect picture of domestic concern. She had on a soft pin

. "I heard Ciara was coming home, so I bro

d off as she too

diating fury and clutching his

er lip began to tremble. She looked from me to Darius,

soup bowl to her chest like a shiel

ngredient in this disaster. It was a

ow had nowhere to go. He couldn't yell at this p

e unfold. I felt strangely detached,

rough the thick silence. "You're not inte

ius, who looked trapped betw

cold as a w

him but meant for her. "Now, Darius. Are you going to get out of my persona

her hands. The mask of innocence finally slipped for