For a moment, they simply stared at each other across the moonlit water, the mate bond humming between them like a live wire. Ravyn’s heart hammered in perfect rhythm with his, and she could feel the pull in her chest settling into something that felt like coming home.
He was massive—not just tall, but built like someone who’d spent his life doing hard physical work. Broad shoulders strained against a dark henley, and even from across the lake she could see the defined muscle in his arms and chest. He had to be at least six-foot-four, maybe taller, with the kind of presence that would command attention in any room. But it was his face that made her breath catch—sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw softened by the kindest gray eyes she’d ever seen.
Those eyes were studying her with an intens
