"Why are you called Constantine Stewart?"
"Because my world is frozen to the bone, where nothing can grow."
The man's voice was low and hoarse, cutting powerfully through the ink-thick night, slow but clearly enunciated. Delphine jolted awake, sat up clutching the quilt, gulping for air as her fingertips began to tremble uncontrollably.
She had always liked the name Constantine Stewart. When she was fifteen, he took her out of the orphanage, adopted her, and after she came of age he high‑handedly changed his identity from guardian to spouse. Before she'd even had time to fully accept this guardian who was ten years older than her, she had already become his woman.
