Morning light filtered through heavy curtains, casting the chamber in shades of gold and shadow.
Soren woke slowly, her body aching in ways she hadn’t known were possible. Every muscle throbbed, every nerve ending hummed, and her skin — gods, her skin felt branded.
She lay naked in Lian’s bed, the silk sheets cool against her feverish flesh. The bite marks covered her — throat, breasts, wrists, thighs, even the tender flesh behind her knees. Each one was a claim, a signature, a permanent reminder of who she belonged to.
“Awake, little wolf?”
The voice came from beside her — low, rich and vibrating with power. Soren turned her head, wincing at the stiffness in her neck, and found Lian watching her.
He was glorious. Gone was the pallor of death, the blue lips, the frozen skin. In its p
