phin

heer shock of my impossible rebirth, and the lingering, suffocating presence of Gideon Carlisle tang

to absolute silence, the darkness in my mind shifted

cked out the stars, plunging the woods into heavy shadows. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, crushed pine needles, and

any wolf I had ever seen in my life, its thick fur as black as a starless midnight. But it was

ld not escape. The beast lowered its massive head, stepping entirely into my personal space. The hot, heavy breath of the creature fanned across my neck, sending vi

and shadow. The giant wolf vanished, and

de

vealed the hard, heavily muscled, and deeply scarred planes of his chest. His usually immaculate blond hair was slightly mussed, falling over his fo

pped past his lips sounded less like a comman

calloused hands shot out, gripping my waist with unyielding strength. He pulled me flush against his solid, bu

, and his mouth cr

lute possession that tasted of danger, cedar, and unyielding desire. My mind went entirely blank.

perate bid to break the suffocating spell, to free myself from the crushing weight of

ed my mouth, and bit down, hard,

th a violent

rtably damp with sweat. I frantically looked around the room, my heart hammering against my ribs,

ale, innocent moonlight filtering through the velvet curta

dream. Just a completely fabri

y collarbones. "What is wrong with you, Seraphina?" I whispered, harshly scolding myself in the dark. "He is Julian's uncle. He is the Com

man who had returned from the dead, a woman meticulously plotting the downfall of a noble house, yet my traumat

against the terrifying Matriarch. My mind was simply projecting a twisted, exaggerated sense of g

e were no bruises, no physical marks, and no bite marks on my teeth. Yet, the phantom heat of his mouth and t

swallow me whole. I just had to act completely normal tomorro