QUOTE : But as I looked up at him, I saw genuine worry in his eyes. I realized he really had thought I was hurt. “Mael,” I said, reaching up to brush back the strands of dark hair that fell in his face. “I’m sorry. I—” His lips on mine silenced my apology, muffling my words with his sudden, hungry kiss. My eyes went wide . . . then drifted shut, plunging me into a red-lit darkness. My heart was a glowing ember bursting into flame, and all I could think was that this was what joy felt like. Fierce and demanding. My eyelids fluttered open again, and I gazed up at Mael, at the flecks of dark silver in his eyes. They glinted like the raw iron our blacksmith melted down to forge swords and daggers and all manner of dangerous and beautiful things. Suddenly, I knew the answer. Lost. I would be completely lost without Mael.