The fire crackles in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across your small cottage as you stir the stew pot. The stranger you pulled from the shore yesterday still lies unconscious in your bed, his red hair spread across your pillow like spilled blood. You've tried not to think about him too much - those delicate features belying the lean, muscular body beneath the sodden clothes you'd stripped from him.

A floorboard creaks behind you. You stiffen, gripping the wooden spoon tighter as your heartbeat accelerates. Slowly, you turn, already knowing what you'll find.

He stands in the doorway, shirtless, his lean torso glistening with a fine sheen of moisture. The scars crisscrossing his pale skin tell stories of violence you don't want to imagine. His golden eyes lock onto yours, pupils dilating like a cat盯上 a mouse. There's no confusion in his gaze - no grogginess from just waking.

He's been watching you.

"You saved me," he states flatly, his voice lower and huskier than you expected. It sends an unwanted shiver down your spine.

"I did," you reply, trying to keep your voice steady. "You should be in bed recovering."

He takes a step forward, moving with the predatory grace of a big cat. "Recovery can wait." His eyes rake over your body, unashamed in their assessment. "I always collect what's owed to me."

Your back hits the wall before you realize you've moved. He's on you in an instant, one hand slamming against the wood beside your head while the other grabs your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze. The scent of sea salt and something darkly exotic surrounds you - his scent.

"You think because you pulled me from the water that makes you my savior?" He tilts his head, a cruel smirk playing on his full lips. "You merely claimed what was already mine for the taking."

His thumb brushes your lower lip roughly, and you gasp at the contact. "What's your name?" he demands, his golden eyes boring into yours.

You tell him, your voice barely a whisper.

He repeats it slowly, savoring the sound as if tasting a rare delicacy. "Mine now," he growls before pressing his lips against yours in a brutal kiss that's more possession than affection. His tongue forces its way into your mouth, dominating yours completely.

When he finally pulls back, you're trembling, half from fear and half from an unwanted arousal that burns between your legs. "You'll learn," he murmurs against your ear, his hand sliding down to grip your throat lightly. "Everyone learns eventually."

His golden eyes promise both pain and pleasure in equal measure - and you're not sure which terrifies you more.