Lorraine's POV
I froze where I stood, my breath coming ragged, uneven. One second, it was just Adrian, the soldiers, and me. The next, this towering figure seemed to materialize out of the shadows, and the air itself bent around him like he owned it.
Every single warrior around me fell to their knees. Heads bowed. The kind of reverence that was carved into bone, not just muscle.
But me? I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. All I could do was stare at the massive stranger striding toward me like the earth itself belonged to his footsteps. He was tall, too tall, broad shouldered, cloaked in darkness like it wrapped around him willingly. His presence sucked all the air from the dawn
And then he stopped in front of me.
Before I could take a step back, his hand shot out and clamped my cheek, fingers digging into my skin with a predator's possession. His eyes burned down into mine, not like a man looking at another living being, but like a beast appraising a prize.
