Gunshot

Elara’s POV

Thick, heavy arms locked around my waist from behind, yanking me flush against a solid, unyielding chest. For a split second, my panicked mind betrayed me, expecting the crisp, overpowering scent of pine and the ocean. I thought Vander had followed me out into the dark.

But the smell that assaulted my senses was a nauseating wave of cheap whiskey, stale sweat, and old tobacco. It wa