The dawn broke over Eldrath, but the golden light did nothing to warm Lyra's racing heart.
The stranger's eyes haunted her still — fiery, dangerous, and impossibly close to hers in memory
Her pulse quickened not only with fear, but with something she refused to name... a dangerous thrill that made her feel alive in a way she shouldn't.
"I can't... I mustn't," she whispered, clutching her amulet. Yet the warmth of his gaze burned behind her eyelids, and she shivered despite herself.
A shadow fell over her hallway. Lyra spun — he was there, the stranger, impossibly close. The air between them seemed to hum with tension.
"You feel it too," he said, voice low, a dangerous whisper brushing against her ear.
"The power. And this... desire... it's ours, whether we accept it or not."
Lyra's knees nearly buckled. She had never felt desire so raw, so consuming. It was wrong, forbidden, yet impossible to resist.
He stepped closer, and she could feel the heat of him, the pull of something darker than herself. Every rational thought fled.
"Soon," he murmured, "nothing will be the same. Not the kingdom... not us."
And then he was gone, leaving her alone with a heart that ached for him, a power she couldn't control, and a destiny she couldn't escape.