Lucian watched the defiant fae-wolf in front of him and felt a thrill run through his body. Valentina's defiance, her fiery spirit—it all intrigued him more than he had anticipated.
He had to admit, she was a challenge. And he had heard stories that she was no weakling. The wolf blood mixed in with her fae blood made her almost invincible.
Lucian's fangs ached. He clenched his jaw, trying to rein in the primal urge to sink his teeth into the delicate skin of her neck. He had spent centuries mastering his control, but Valentina's blood called to him in a way that was almost unbearable.
He felt a similar feeling years ago when he saw her mother, Analyn, that night. But Valentina…something about her felt different. Perhaps it was because she wasn't a purebreed fae like her mother? Or was it her aura of innocence that was missing in Analyn? There was a raw, untamed quality to her that was absent in her mother.