Sera woke to the sound of rain.
Not the gentle kind. The hard, driving kind that turned dirt to mud and made the old roof groan under its weight. She lay still for a moment, listening to the water race down the gutters, counting the seconds between thunderclaps.
Dax was still asleep beside her.
Not beside her — not like that. He'd fallen asleep in the chair, his head tilted back, one hand resting on the armrest. The bond mark on his neck was visible above his collar. Fresh. Dark. Still healing.
She'd completed the bond last night.
Not because she wanted to. Because she'd had to. Because the poison was spreading and the Blood Moon was two days away and there were no other options left.
Doesn't mean I forgive him, she thought. Doesn't mean I trust him.
But her hand moved to her own ne
