Chapter 47

*Elora*

For a moment, there was nothing but stillness.

My lips were still pressed against his. My hands trembled at my sides. His breath mingled with mine in that tiny pause between before and after—before I kissed him, and after everything changed.

I meant to pull away. Truly, I did.

But then he moved.

His lips claimed mine like they’d been waiting for this moment all his life. Like something in