I woke to burning.

Not the sharp heat of flame, but something deeper. Something that pulsed beneath my skin like liquid starlight. My eyes snapped open as the sensation spread up my arms, leaving trails of warmth in its wake.

The cottage was quiet except for the soft crackling of dying embers in the fireplace. Dawn light filtered through windows that seemed to shimmer with their own magic, casting everything in a golden glow.

But it wasn't the light that made me gasp.

My arms were covered in ...