The twilight had deepened into a thick, velvet darkness, the room illuminated only by the dying, charcoal embers of the hearth. The air was heavy, suffocating with the scent of cedar smoke and the electric, violent hum of the connection, a tension that had been coiling tighter around my lungs with every breath since Zayne had returned.
**Zayne POV**
I couldn't wait another second. I leaned down, my mouth crashing against hers in a kiss that was desperate and bruising. It wasn't the soft, cautious kiss of a holiday greeting; it was a reclamation. I tasted the salt of her tears and the sweetness of her skin, my tongue tangling aggressively with hers as the **bond** flared, sending a jolt of pure electricity straight to my gut. She gasped against my lips, her hands fisting in the hair at th
