Chapter 20. The Ritual of Eclipse

The hush of the night never quite reassembled itself after his whispered triumph; instead, it rippled around them in restless waves. Lora lay nestled in the damp grass, the blades brushing against her heated limbs as though curious witnesses, her chest rising and falling in uneven, eager breaths, her body still trembling with the fading tremors of heat and release. At her throat, the dark, searing marks pulsed in a wild duet—fire and shadow locked in a frantic dance, weaving together so tightly that no force seemed able to tear them apart. Rael’s breath came in ragged whispers against her skin, each exhale a soft confession of his own exhaustion; his arm stayed looped around her waist, anchoring her to the moment, while his lips drifted over damp strands of her hair as though tracing a secret map.

For a brief, comforting instant, Lora believed the storm within her might finally settle—that the ache had at last been sated, that the inner conflagration would cool to glowing embe