River gasped into the kiss, her knees nearly buckling from the sheer intensity of it. Animalistic sounds rumbled from his throat, growls laced with desire, fury, and something else—something ancient. His hand slid to the back of her neck, fingers trembling as though restraining himself from completely losing control.
The air around them shifted. The violent aura began to waver—not fade, but bend… around her. Her presence was pulling him back. Her kiss, her scent, her heartbeat. She was the anchor.
“Come back to me,” she murmured against his lips.
His breathing slowed.
The snarl in his throat softened into a low growl.
His grip on her eased—just a fraction. His forehead dropped to hers, his body still taut with suppressed rage, but no longer exploding. The firestorm was still burning—b
