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the darkness claimed him.
    There were days he believed he would never surface from the dark. Faith had been his only lifeline and without her, he was untethered. Only work and the pursuit of Lyons gave him a rock to cling to, a touchstone to centre him when the swirling vortex threatened to pull him under. He would achieve his life’s purpose and then surrender to the waves.
    He tossed back the glass and waited for the familiar haze to cloud his mind and wipe away the stress of the day. Gentle fingers massaged his consciousness and beckoned for him to follow the wisps, to escape to another world where the cold fingers of death could not touch him. To linger in a world where Faith still breathed and her laughter licked his skin as her naked form slid over him.



Lowestoft, 22 th December.
    he delicious aromas of bacon and coffee tickled Cara’s senses and woke her from sleep. She cracked one eye open and, in the sliver of light breaking through the curtains, found Nate standing by the bed. A silver tray in his hands contained the source of the delectable smell making her stomach rumble.
    “Happy birthday,” he said, placing the breakfast tray on the side table and sitting on the edge of the bed.
    A black velvet box with a silver bow lay nestled between bacon and coffee and seized her attention. She pushed herself to an upright position, dragging the blankets up to cover her naked chest. She picked up the long rectangle and stroked a finger along the plush exterior, enjoying the speculation of what might lay within.
    “Open it,” Nate said.
    She didn’t need to be told twice and slid off the ribbon and cracked the lid. Her breath left her in a gasp. Her eyes widened as she stared at the contents shimmering on black silk.
    “It’s beautiful,” she whispered, lifting out a diamond collar. The gems caught the morning sun that escaped through the drapes. Sparks of red and gold flashed around the room and threw flames against the walls. “I’m holding fire.” Never had she seen diamonds respond to the light like these.
    Nate placed a hand over hers and turned the necklace over. “Your little friend is shedding and contributed something special. Look closely at the setting.”
    She peered at the gems. Each diamond had an unusual backing, roughly circular in shape and the source of the brilliant colour. A dragon scale.
    “The light refracts through the diamond and bounces off the scale, making them blaze with living fire.”
    She let out a breath. “You’ve given me dragon diamonds for my birthday.” She held up her hand and stared at them in wonder, mesmerised by the play of colour.
    He strode to the large window and pulled the curtain open. Watery sunlight rushed into the room and turned the necklace into molten lava in her hands.
    Cara laid the gems back on their silken bed and watched Nate’s shoulders bunch under his jacket as he tied back the curtain. The movement of muscle under skin was something else she could never tire of admiring.
    “As much as I love my present, I thought I ordered a pirate wake up call for my birthday. Over the knee boots, sword, open shirt.” She gave him a slow smile as she mentally divested him of clothing and then redressed him more appropriately for her birthday. “Maybe a pirate with a spot of ravishment on his mind?”
    His gaze darkened; with great care, he removed his jacket and draped it over the chaise. He stalked back to the bed as his fingers undid the buttons on his shirt. “Just so you know, it’s not the clothes that make a pirate, it’s the exploits.”
    His shirt hit the floor by the time he reached the bed. Cara’s breath caught in her throat with the intensity of his stare and the emotion surging along their common bond. He heated her from within and without simultaneously.
    Mentally, she traced patterns over the smooth flesh of his torso; she itched to follow them with her fingers.
    Kneeling on the end of the mattress, he grabbed the blanket. She gave a yelp