The Crimson Moth (The Crimson Moth, #1)

by Kristen Ciccarelli

It was why Rune never cut herself. She couldn’t afford to let them find the scars.

“Your laugh is like a fuse,” he said. “It lights you up.”

“I remember the sound of your laugh,” he said as the back door of the house came into view. “It pulled me like a magnet toward the beach, where I found the most beautiful girl in the world standing on the shore.”

“Rune.” His thumb brushed across her knuckles. “I would like to come in, but I promised to go slow with you.” Lifting her hand, he kissed the sensitive part of her wrist, making her shiver. “And if I step through that door tonight, I’m afraid I won’t keep my word.”

But it wasn’t only her physical attributes that had him spinning. It was her kindness. Her thoughtfulness. Her wildness. It was her willingness to argue with him. If he wasn’t careful, he might fall in love with her.

“You’re exquisite, Rune.”

The hunted had fallen for the hunter.

“Gideon.” He flinched and stopped, but didn’t look back. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m so sorry for all of it.” Finally, he glanced at her, and the wounded look on his face pierced like a knife. Above the heavy plink of the rain, she heard him say, “So am I.” He strode off as the cold iron bit her bare ankles, and the locks clicked into place.

“I will never stop hunting you, Rune Winters. No matter where you go, I will come for you.”