Ryker’s POV
We were on a picnic scarf spread over grass so green it didn’t look real. The kind of green that only exists in places untouched by anything ugly. I could feel the wool of the scarf under my palm, rough and soft. Beside me, Lila lay with her fingers laced through mine. Her head tipped back to watch the glowing stars popping out of the dark blue sky.
Birds moved through the trees around us. Twittering in a lazy, contented rhythm that matched the slow, easy beat of my own heart. A small bonfire crackled a few feet away.
“This is nice,” Lila said, her voice soft and unhurried. “We should do this more.”
“We should do this always,” I said, and meant it more than anything.
The moon rose full above the treeline. Silver light spilled down over both of us until her skin glowed with
