I hissed like a nightcrawler as blinding dawnexplodedinto the cabin.
Lucien gasped, shying away from the brightness, only for his gaze to adjust far faster than mine and lock onto the view. Sagging toward the window, he rested his fingers against the thick pane, utterly transfixed.
My heart pounded as I shifted closer, needing to see what hypnotised him.
My mouth fell open as I drank in the most sublime sunrise I’d ever seen.
The entire sky dripped in molten rivers of celestial light. The horizon was painted with exquisite brush strokes, fluffy clouds were illuminated from within with their own miniature sun, andeverythingwas gilded in gold. The heavens glowed with a riot of lavender and peach, coral and crimson.
Lucien exhaled heavily.
Every muscle in his body went still, and for one fragile moment...he looked exactly how he did on the night I’d dragged him into the media room and showed him the wilderness of Borneo.
His lips parted as the sunrise poured over him, caressing his cheekbones with a bronze so bright, it seemed to make him otherworldly.
Untouchable.
Onfire.
My heart seized and I stopped looking at the sunrise.
I’d never seen anyone more breathtaking.
I couldn’t look away as emotions drowned me—deep aching waves of violence and agony.
I froze because...those emotions weren’t mine.
They slid into me like fog creeping under the door of my heart—a door I hadn’t even realised I’d flung wide open.
Ifelthim.
I glimpsed behind the mask of the man I’d fallen ridiculously in love with, and his grief crushed my ribs. Followed by fury so raw, it threatened to kill me if I held it back.
But it was his fear that broke my heart.
Fear of what was happening to him. Of what would happen when he couldn’t withstand the burn anymore.
My vision swam as pain flared sharp and sudden. My body protected itself by slamming the door, breaking the bond and—
Lucien spun to face me as if he’d felt that too.
The instant his scarlet-rimmed eyes met mine, the air between us snapped taut.
For one electrifying second, I thought he was going to kiss me again.
But something inside him broke.
Launching to his feet, he snatched my wrist and jerked me up. “Come with me.”
I squeaked as he almost stepped on Whisper. The panther shot out of the way, narrowly avoiding his tail being stomped.
The world blurred as my pulse roared, pain and heat and that impossible connection made everything hurt and ache andblaze.
“Lucien...what are you—?”
“Don’t talk.” Dragging me down the aisle, he opened the door to the bedroom suite and pushed me inside.
The lock clicked as he shoved me onto the bed, then pounced on me.
