Chapter 86
A sudden flash of lightning tore through the dark, illuminating the figure in the doorway. It was Hayes.
Euphoria exhaled a shaky breath and lowered her dagger, her heart still hammering against her ribs. She shot him a look of sharp reproach. "What are you doing creeping into my room in the middle of the night? You're going to scare me to death!"
Hayes had been momentarily taken aback by her swift, lethal reaction, but he quickly recovered his stony composure.
"The thunder was loud," he said simply. "I thought you might be frightened."
Euphoria went still. She stared at him, genuinely shocked. Hearing such protective, almost tender words coming from a man as stoic as Hayes felt like a glitch in reality. Beside her, the cubs stirred, blinking their sleepy eyes as if trying to piece together why their mother and the fire-beast were staring at each other in the dark.
