EMILIA’S POV

The rain didn’t let up. It came down in sheets, relentless, heavy enough that the world blurred into silver. My hair clung to my face, plastered in damp strands, and every step Maximus took sent mud splashing against his legs.

But I didn’t notice any of it.

Not when his arms were around me. Not when my legs were hooked tightly around his waist, my cheek pressed to the solid, rain-slicked heat of his shoulder.

He carried me like I weighed nothing, his stride powerful, unhurried, steady against the fury of the storm.

“You’ll catch cold,” he muttered, his voice a deep rumble against my ear, vibrating down...