Master of Salt & Bones

by Keri Lake

He steps toward me, to which I step backward, until the wall behind me is pressing against my spine. Planting a hand against the wall, he leans forward. It’s not his face that scares the shit out of me right now, but the proximity of his body, and I’m suddenly very much aware of his size compared to mine. How small and delicate I must look beside him. Small. Delicate. Totally breakable. “Careful, girl,” he whispers in my ear, casting a shiver of goosebumps across my skin with the dark promise in his tone.

“Say my name again,” he whispers, eyes riveted on my mouth. “Lucian.”

“You’re my curse. Staying away from you, is like trying to hold my breath when the tide is rising.” His words dance around my head, the deep timbre of his voice titillating my senses. “I want to drown in you.”

“You’re mine. And I would never hurt what’s mine.”