Sweet floral lilacs and moonlight incandescence washed over me, drowning me in her essence. I mumbled, "Brinley? What are you doing here?"

She looked equally stunned, mossy green eyes wide, flecks of gold swirling in their troubled depths. "I was working early today...I have...to go into town," she trailed off, her gaze now firmly on the floor. Her lip quivered. My Wolf paced in my head. His urge to comfort her was almost overwhelming.

"Oh," I muttered through clenched teeth, ...