Aria's POV

The sound of the world was muffled...screams, growls, and the pounding of paws on blood-stained ground. All of it came to me like echoes from another realm.

Damon's arms were my only thing keeping me tethered to what was reality. His scent...like smoke and rain...surrounded me as he carried me through the chaos, with his heartbeat like a desperate drum beneath my cheek.

"Stay with me, Aria," he whispered, his voice raw and trembling in ways I'd never heard before. His breath brushed ...