Draven.
As soon as Meredith stepped out and closed the door behind her, I drew in a breath so deep it scraped the edges of my lungs—and released it just as slowly.
The silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.
My gaze lingered on the door for a heartbeat longer before I turned away, rolling my shoulders to push off the weight that had settled there. Even now, the memory of what had happened before dawn refused to let go.
I could still feel it.
That unnatural, crawling itch in my gums, right under the roots of my fangs. The raw hunger that had flared without warning. And worse—the terrible, sinking realization that I had leaned so close to Meredith's neck that I could see the faint pulse beat just under her skin.
My chest tightened.
I had recoiled in horror when I realized how near I'd come to sinking my teeth into her flesh—not in the way a mate marks, but in a mindless, feral thirst that had nothing to do with love or bond.
