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“Does it matter what I mean?” The words come out harsher than I intend.

Aria blinks, hurt flashing across her face. “Of course it matters. You were...different when she was here. Closed off.”

“Was I?” I sheath the sword with a metallic snap and start pacing. My boots crunch over the brittle leaves. “Seems like you got along fine with her.”

“What?” The disbelief in her voice makes me pause. “Roan, I barely said three sentences to her. I didn’t know what to say,” Aria stammers. “She kept asking me questions about us. About you.”

“And you answered.” I regret the accusation the second it leaves my mouth, but it’s already hanging there between us, sharp and ugly.

Aria recoils like I slapped her. “I didn’t tell her anything important. I didn’t know it would... upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” I snap, even as my pulse hammers harder with the lie.

Her eyes narrow. “You’re standing there gripping your sword like you want to cut down the next person who breathes wrong. So, yes, I’d say you’re rather upset.”

I bark out a laugh. “What would you know about it?”

She goes still. I can see the moment the hurt shifts into something colder. “Apparently, not much.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and turn away. The last thing I want to do is lash out at her, but the storm in my chest won’t settle. Selis’s voice lingers:First time traveling with a mercenary, huh? Brave or foolish.I remember Aria’s nervous smile, the way she answered without realizing she was being sized up.

The memory makes my teeth clench.

“I didn’t want to talk to her,” Aria says after a long pause. Her voice is quiet but sure. “She made me uncomfortable. I thought you saw that.”

I exhale slowly. “That’s what she does. She makes people uncomfortable.”

“But you’re angry at me.”

“I’m not angry at you.” I rake a hand through my hair. “I’m angry at myself.”

The honesty slips out before I can stop it.

Aria steps closer, her eyes searching mine. “Why?”

I want to tell her.Because I care too much. Because the idea of someone like Selis in the same vicinity of you makes my skin crawl, and the idea of Selis getting close to you makes me want to draw blood. Because I haven’t felt like this about anyone in years, and it terrifies me.

Instead, I shrug. “She got under my skin.”

Aria’s expression is unreadable. Then, after a moment, she sighs. “She was trying to.” Her voice is soft but firm, like she’s stating an undeniable fact. “You didn’t have to let her.”

That lands sharper than I expect. I don’t know how to answer, so I don’t.

Aria exhales, then stands, brushing dirt from her palms. “I’m going to wash up,” she says, tilting her head toward the faint sound of running water beyond the trees.

She walks away, leaving me standing there with my heart racing and my mouth dry. I want to call her back, to tell her that Selis was never what mattered.

She was.Aria.

But the words stay locked behind my teeth.

Aria

Ispentlongerthannecessary washing up, letting the crisp morning air settle my thoughts.

The cold had numbed my fingers, cleared my mind, but the moment I spot Roan crouched by the remains of the fire, the tension tightens its hold on me again.

She looks up as I step into the clearing, eyes sharp even in the low light. A rabbit dangles from her grip, freshly caught. The coppery scent of blood lingers in the air.