ha Ryker", Elara said softly, not knowing whether to look into his e

ant people call me that, call me Lucien", he said, lifting h

ugh she had been slapped by Kai not too long ago. Ryker –

g finally to lower her gaze, she couldn't look i

lowering his head to kiss her hand, finding her eyes again

ra felt an unwanted storm of butterflies rav

yes, they weren't just a monotone silver. He smelled like sandalwood, earthy without being dirty,

ooking at her as though she were some

finally, voice barely above a breath, as if afraid th

he corner of his mouth cu

though she were tracing the shape of a new trut

didn't speak, just reached for her hand again and brushed his thumb acro

s, in a wa

n closer and planting a kiss on her forehead. Elara let out a whoosh of air from her lungs, this felt so intimate,

ts of her own sugary pastry scent intermingled with his wood

too fragile for her to use her normal voice, and she wasn't e

ine the various colors dancing across them anyways, it wasn't a big deal. Ronan had come looking for Lucien to deliver a very dramatic, and perhaps highly u

tside into the courtyard and he was certain Lucien would be there, it

is head about how Lucien probably scared the vineyard workers i

d the woman Ronan had only glimpsed from afar, the mysterious mate, her head tilted up and her eyes glued to his like she was listening to music only they could hear. Her hand was resting gently against

inked

ic

l lack of restraint, he

ct was i

emembered how lungs worked. Her fingers twitched once, twice, before she clasped them together tightly, like

awkward little shuffle-step, the fluttery hands, the blinking too fast like her brain was bufferin

f, Lucien was giv

akingly neutral it transcended into violence. It was the kind of look that didn't say "I'm angry,"

e birds stopped chirping. Perhaps somewhere, a

nder. "Kidding! I'm kidding. Obviously. Beautifu

ay. Slowly. Carefully

etend I was never her

ore under his breath. He dared a glance back

rned and

he shared with him were worth considering, it was a familial thing, so she either had extended exposure to

yone in the Ellis family had to go through those range of motion

g, Ronan would make su