*Alistair*

Blackwood was almost certain that time itself stopped moving.

Whatever air was trapped in his lungs stayed there and began to burn a hole through his chest. He couldn’t find the right words to respond to such a shocking statement. His mind was swiped blank while his heart plunged into his stomach.

Even the glimmer in Alistair’s eyes vanished as he stared down at the woman in his arms. The same woman who looked at him with a lost and ...