"What do you want from me, Merlina?"
Craig's voice had been steady before, but now there was an edge to it, a sharpness that bit through the night air.
Merlina froze, pulse thundering, caught in the weight of his gaze. She could see it there, anger simmering just beneath the surface, ready to snap.
Still, she stood speechless, her fist pressed lightly against her other palm, trying to anchor herself. The cold wind tugged at her hair, brushing across her face, but she barely noticed.
She rubbed her hand across her temple, the heat of it not quite matching the storm roaring before her.
His question hung in the air. It was a question she had never really asked herself, not fully, especially not with the weight of him standing there. Raw and intense, holding every fragment of her in his stare.
