章 40: 40 Moonlit Night (AVOT)

Rhain studied Daisy with a mixture of amusement and affection, delighting in the simple pleasure of watching her. Her expressive brown eyes constantly shifting between surprise and suspicion, her skin flushing under his teasing, and her heart's rhythm – a melody that filled him with a longing that felt as much hunger as it did desire.

She was unraveling his mysteries slowly, a development that fueled his sense of the hunt. Yet, against the predator within him, a protective instinct took root. How could it not? Her sweetness stirred both his predatory instinct and a strange desire to protect her.

It was an unusual conflict. The man in him yearned for her trust, for the warmth of her body willingly entwined with his. The predator, however, yearned for her fear, for the rush of hunting his prey. He scoffed at his own predicament. The irony was almost comical - the hunter and the protector, both desiring the same woman in entirely different ways.