The words hit the space between them like a thrown blade. For a heartbeat, Gavriel didn’t move. His eyes, dark as a storm, flickered with something she couldn’t quite name—anger, hunger, respect.

The grip on her hips tightened, but not cruelly; it was as if he were holding her together instead of breaking her apart.

“Then prove it,” he rasped, his mouth brushing the shell of her ear. Althea’s breath came fast, chest rising and falling as his words sank into her. She could feel ...