His demand hung in the dusty air, a challenge and a gift. The want in his voice was a vibration that echoed the ache deep within her. For a heartbeat, Alina was lost in it, in the promise of his touch, in the shadow of his brother’s claim that felt a thousand miles away.
Then, a spark ignited in her blood. Not of submission, but of command.
Her hands, which had been clinging to his shoulders, flattened against his chest. With a surge of strength that surprised them both, she shoved. It wasn’t violent, but it was absolute. Riven, caught off guard by the sudden shift, took a full step back, his boot scuffing against the stone floor. His fierce expression flickered with pure, unadulterated shock.
Her eyes did blaze then, not with fear, but with a skeptical, fiery confidence that had been f
