Maximus

The sound of her voice cut through the static in my head. For a second, I thought I was imagining it—soft, steady, defiant in the way only she could be.

Then she stepped into the clearing, and the haze inside me began to fade.

Her boots sank into the damp earth. She didn’t stop even when the ground around me was still hot enough to steam. Her scent hit me—wildflowers and smoke—and my control almost slipped again.

“Rebecca,” I said, forcing the word ...