Max's POV

I closed my eyes, trying to clear my head, but the anger was too potent. The fear was a cold knot in my gut. I opened them again, staring at the back of Aurora's head. Her scent – usually a blend of wild honeysuckle and rain, now tainted with sweat, dried blood, and fear – still held the faintest echo of familiarity, of a brief, intense time in my life that I now bitterly regretted.

I leaned forward, my breath ghosting over her ear. "Listen to me, Aurora," I ...