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“You’re quiet,” Dex said.

They were sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed in the room Tessa had been given for the week. It was just as white and pristine as the rest of the palace. That was what she was calling it now. If Arius House was a castle, Achaz House was a sprawling palace.

“I’ve never been much of a talker,” Tessa said, relishing the cool breeze that was blowing in from the open window.

“That’s true, but you never leave a doughnut sitting this long, let alone reduce it to crumbs,” he countered with a pointed look.

She only shrugged, picking off another piece of the pastry and rolling it between her fingers.

“It’s not the same here, you know,” Dex said.

She looked up into his dark eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I know things are bad in Arius Kingdom, but you can breathe here, Tessie.”

“Things aren’t— Things don’t seem all that different here,” she amended.

“Was your time with Lord Jove unpleasant?”

“Not exactly. It was more nerve-racking than anything.”

“That’s understandable, but he’s made several shows of good faith,” Dex said. “Me sitting here with you is one of them.”

“I guess,” she murmured, picking off another piece of doughnut.

“Gods, I hate what he’s managed to do to you in a few short months,” he spat, his hands clenching where they rested atop his bent knees.

She stiffened. “What do you mean ‘do to me?’”

Dex gestured to her, clearly irritated. “You used to talk to me, for starters.”

“I am talking to you.”

“You’re talking to me like you did when we first met.”

“When we first met, I was under a set of stairs and told you to fuck off,” she said blandly.

Dex shifted, another sign of his growing frustration. “Exactly. How long did it take for you to trust me? And in a few short months, he’s undone all of that.”

“All of that,” she repeated dryly.

“You know what I mean.” When she only hummed in answer, he said, “I’m doing the best I can, Tessa.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means while I’m trying to fix this, you seem upset that you’re even here. We’ve hardly spoken since the Selection,” he said, his tone hardening with every word.

“How is that my fault?” Tessa demanded.

“That part isn’t your fault. There was nothing you could do once you were Selected.”

For a few seconds, she could only gape at him. Finding her voice again, she said, “I’m sorry, but are you implying that Theon Selecting me is my fault?”

“You were the one who left the hall. He would have never found you in that alcove if you’d just stayed put.”

“He would have… He was already looking for me,” she said, trying to comprehend how they were having this conversation.

“And you wandering away made it easier for him to find you,” Dex snapped. “You can never just?—”