The fire in the hearth had burned down to embers, casting haunted shadows that writhed like tortured spirits across the war room walls. I sat curled in the window seat, my knees drawn to my chest, watching the last flames dance their death throes. Outside, the moon hung bloated and accusing over Crescent Moon territory—a silent, judging witness to the hurricane of rage and fear brewing inside me.
Kieran's scent hit me first—leather and gasoline from his ride, crushed pine needles, and something darkly intoxicating that was uniquely him. I felt him before I saw him, every nerve ending in my body suddenly, traitorously alive. His arms slammed against the window frame on either side, caging me without a single touch. The wood splintered beneath his white-knuckled grip, ancient oak groaning i
