RUBY
Shadow kissed me tenderly, his lips patient, and coaxing, drawing me closer without forcing a single thing. It was achingly slow, and yet I felt the ground tilt beneath my feet as if the world itself leaned toward him.
When he finally pulled back, I was breathless, I curled my fingers into his shirt as though they belonged there. He stared at me, using his thumb to brush my cheek with a gentleness that contradicted the storm I knew he carried inside.
“You’re trembling less,” he murmured, his voice deep.
“That’s debatable,” I whispered back, though I realized my voice was steadier than I expected.
A faint smile ghosted over his lips. Not cocky or triumphant, just relieved.
He stepped back just enough to study me, his hands still warm around my shoulders.
Then, I saw it, t
