The carriage wheels had barely ground to a halt on the dark gravel of the Vaelxuan courtyard before the door was slammed open.
Lexianna gasped, startled from her exhaustion.
Arkin stood framed in the carriage doorway. He was breathing heavily, his broad chest rising and falling in uneven rhythms. His dark hair was a mess, and the feral ruby-red of his eyes was glowing so brightly it cast a crimson hue over the interior of the carriage.
He had been pacing the courtyard for hours, practically feral with anxiety, a caged predator waiting for his mate to return to his territory.
He didn't say a word. He didn't ask if she had enjoyed the market.
He simply reached in, his massive arms hooking beneath her knees and behind her back, and pulled her out of the carriage. He pressed her tightly against his chest, burying his face directly into the crook of her neck.
