** Ryder’s POV **

Halfway up the stairs, she tightens her grip on me, her lips brushing the side of my throat. Not kissing, just… there. Like the contact is something she needs to stay steady.

“Ryder…” she whispers.

I stop.

Every muscle tenses because of how she says my name. Like she’s stripping the whole world away except for the two of us.

I turn my head slightly, enough to see her eyes in the dim hallway light. They’re glowing faint gold now, not from power, but from ...