Cierra:
The fire still burned when I returned to the clearing, golden light licking the darkness as if it could hold back the night.
Dominic stood near the center of it all, surrounded by warriors and elders, his posture tall, commanding. His eyes found me the moment I stepped through the crowd.
He smiled, slow and warm, and the crowd parted instinctively, letting me through like the tide drawing toward the moon.
“There you are,” he murmured when I reached him. “My moon-born.”
The title brushed over my skin like silk and flame all at once. His hand came up to cup my face, thumb grazing my cheekbone in a touch that was possessive and tender in equal measure.
“You ready?” he whispered.
“For what?”
He smiled faintly, a secret dancing in his eyes. “For the ritual.”
The world around us
