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But I can’t let this go. “Do you even realise how many people your music has touched? How many people are?—”

“Stop,” she interrupts, her voice sharp. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

The room falls silent, the weight of her words settling between us.

Xar leans back in his chair, his arms resting on his knees. “Wow,” he says finally, his voice steady. “I had no idea.”

Dane nods, his tone quiet but reassuring. “Thank you for being honest with us, Eviana. I’m sorry it came out like this, but I’m glad to know a bit more about you.”

She looks away, her posture still tense, and for a moment, I think the conversation’s over. But then an idea sparks in my mind, and I can’t help myself.

“Evie?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you sing for us?” I ask sweetly. She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“No! No way. Are youinsane?”

“Tell you what,” I say, grabbing the acoustic guitar I left propped by the wall. “If you won’t sing for us, I’ll sing for you.”

Eviana’s head snaps back toward me, her eyes narrowing. “Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” I strum an exaggeratedly loud, off-key chord, grinning as her expression shifts from disbelief to something almost amused.

Xar sighs heavily. “Blaise?—”

“Too late!” I say, cutting him off as I launch into the worst rendition of one of our songs, deliberately messing up the lyrics and hitting all the wrong notes.

Eviana lets out a sharp breath, and for a moment, I think she’s going to yell at me. But instead, there’s a twitch at the corner of her mouth – a hint of a smile she’s clearly trying to suppress.

“Stop,” she says firmly, though there’s a thread of laughter in her voice now.

“Not until you join in!” I challenge, strumming another ear-splitting chord.

Her lips press into a line, but the spark in her eyes is unmistakable. “You’re impossible.”

“That’s what they tell me,” I reply with a wink, plucking at the strings again and continuing my horrible vocals.

Dane shakes his head, but there’s a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Even Xar looks like he’s fighting the urge to laugh.

Eviana sighs, finally sitting up a little straighter in her nest. “Fine,” she says, her voice sharp with exasperation. “Fine. Just stop murdering it.”

I immediately stop, grinning like I’ve just won the lottery. “Deal.”

Xar leans back, his expression softening slightly. “Take your time. No pressure.”

Eviana hesitates, glancing at the guitar in my hands before shifting her gaze to the corner where another guitar is propped against the wall. Why didn’t I pay attention to it before now? I mean, I knew it was there, had noted how worn it was, but I just didn’t think it might be hers. How stupid of me.

Slowly, she stands and retrieves it, her fingers brushing over the worn wood like she’s drawing strength from it.

She sits back down, the firelight casting a warm glow over her face, and adjusts the guitar in her lap.

“I’ll have you know, I prefer the piano, so this might be a little rusty,” she warns, tuning the guitar perfectly by ear.

Like we care.

When she starts to play, the room falls completely silent.