His eyes blaze in a way that is new to me.
When they roam to my lips, it's all I can do not to tremble.
He studies me as if tormented, as if the need to own my soul is all that exists.
When he speaks, I feel myself succumbing to his deviant, seductive words. To his incomparable aura. To his power.
I observe his malevolence in fear, in revulsion and with time, in fascination, desperate to understand how to soften the bonds of his trauma.
As the beast slowly unravels me, I see shards of someone who was once human.
They come to the surface and then retreat into the shadows, enslaved by demons who have no desire to let him go.
If I can reach him, I can liberate him, and liberate those around him.
I've always been willing to do whatever it takes to protect the people I love.
The question is, will I fall into darkness trying to save them?

Embers of Black Oak is the Book Four in the Black Oak series.
For mature audiences.