Noctisardor Bypass life is about creating yourself.

Fig was grateful Tauris didn’t pursue the conversation about his family. He would’ve told her whatever she wanted to know—it was only fair after she’d shared so much with him. But he was reluctant to relive his hurt so soon. And even more reluctant for her to find out how unwell his mind actually was and for her to think he was all talk.

Her answer to his question brought him back from the precipice of his own sorrows. He laughed softly, pleased to hear she’d used his trick. ”I’m glad,” Fig said, his eyes on her as she settled in, ”It’s pretty handy. Even when it doesn’t help me go easy on myself, it usually lightens my mood.”

Fig was in the middle of thinking up another question for her when he felt the ground beneath him suddenly shift. Her move didn’t go unnoticed, though he didn’t consider for one second she’d meant to do it. He felt his heart begin to thump a little quicker and harder in his chest as a pleasant tingling slipped through his stomach. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye as she stretched out in the grass, but soon found his head turning in full to meet her gaze.

Had she always been so… he couldn’t even think of the right word. Beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous. None were right. None were enough.

Fig’s ears perked and his eyes widened slightly at her question. That was about when the earth fell away, and though he would look back on that very moment as the one when he’d been ensnared—the poor fool had been intoxicated from the moment she’d emerged from the brush with flower petals in her hair. Otherwise, he would’ve realized long ago that she was in season and he might’ve made the wiser choice and walked away.

Breathtaking. That was the right word.

”No,” he said, unable to look away.