~ RONAN ~

Lyra and I linger like that for a while, bodies interlocked, tasting each other. She finally draws back gently to look me in the face, the warmth in her smile winding its way into my heart. I love the way her heart beats against my chest—proof that she’s alive and she’s all mine.

She wets her thumb slightly on her tongue and swipes at the blood trails that color my face. I instinctively reach for her hand and squeeze it gently as I bury my chin in it.

As she ...