Oblivion did not claim Evelina so easily.

Though the vise around her throat promised to extinguish her spark at any moment, some infinitesimal spark of defiance refused to be snuffed out—not while the piercing wails of her daughter split the night like an enchantress's curse.

Writhing in Alden's implacable grip, Evelina thrashed with every fiber of waning strength. Muddied streamers of her dark tresses whipped across his chiseled features, speckling those harsh angles with scarlet droplets from a dozen scoring lacerations.

Yet the Alpha's countenance remained as immovable and elemental as the onrushing tide of night itself.

Darkness crept in from the corners of Evelina's fading vision. Pinprick stars danced...