POV: Daniel

The second I pulled away from her mouth, I knew I was lying to her.

Her lips were swollen, her chest rising and falling, the storm soaking her through. The tether burned white-hot in both our chests, moving us into a rhythm that not even the deluge could drown. I’d said it, Next time I won’t stop here—but I’d known as soon as the words left my mouth that the bond had told me the truth even if I was too much of a coward to hear it.

There wouldn’t be a ...