The first time was three years ago, when the sting of his abandonment was a raw wound in her battered heart. The second was just six months ago, when desperation drowned out her better judgement.
He hadn’t answered either one.
Jaxon tilted his head, watching her. "I wasn’t exactly in a position to write, Starling."
That wasn’t an answer, and they both knew it. But his hand caught hers before she could pull away, his thumb grazing over the tinyly’ithrarune tattooed at the base of her thumb. The tiny touch sent a spark of warmth through her, curling low in her stomach.Even when she wanted nothing more than to forget she had ever met Jaxon Shaw, her body remembered.
Gods, she hated herself for that.
“For three years?” she snapped, yanking her hand away. She tried to step back, but the workbench pressed into her spine, leaving her nowhere to retreat.
“I’m making up for it now, Starling,” Jaxon murmured. His hand slipped beneath her cloak, tracing tiny, maddening circles on her hip with his fingertips. “Have dinner with me. Serafina will understand.”
Araya choked on her incredulous laugh. Serafina absolutely would not understand, though Araya refrained from reminding him that her best friend still despised him. Araya wasn’t sure what startled her more—his audacity, or the way her heart still fluttered when he looked at her like that.
“I promised Serafina that I would help with maternity rounds tonight,” she said. “She’s scheduled for Ravonfar.”
“On Dominion Day?” Jaxon’s frown deepened, his fingers tightening on her hip as she tried to step out of his arms. “It’s a holiday, Araya. Everyone else is celebrating. Why not take a break and enjoy it?”
Enjoy it. The words turned her stomach. “Babies don’t care about holidays, Jaxon,” she said, forcing a thin smile.
Jaxon didn’t answer right away. The silence stretched taut between them, broken only by her own thundering heart in her ears.
“I’ll find you after, then,” he said finally. “I reserved a table—we can do drinks instead.”
He twisted a strand of hair that had escaped her braid around his finger, tracing how it shifted from deep red to dark violet. His thumb grazed the long line of her neck—a featherlight touch that sent goosebumps racing across her skin before he finally dropped his hand, releasing her.
“Jaxon—”
“Don’t make me wait too long, Starling,” he murmured, softening the warning with a grin that could somehow still ruin her.
Then he was gone.
The door shut behind him with a soft thud, leaving her alone with the lingering scent of vanilla and old regrets.
Araya sagged against the workbench, her breath leaving her in a shaky rush. Only Jaxon Shaw affected her like this—and he knew it. Three years without a single gods-forsaken letter, and in one night, he had undone her.
She shook her head, staring out the window as she pressed a hand to her chest, desperate to slow her galloping heart. She didn’t even know if he meant to keep the promise he’d made her three years ago.
Was she a fool for hoping he did?
Araya scowled out the window, not sure she wanted the answer to that question. People thronged the streets around the Aetherium, the celebration in full swing now that night had finally fallen.
“Gods save me.” She leapt to her feet, swearing as she yanked her hood up to cover her hair and the clipped tips of her ears. She was so late—Serafina was going to kill her. Healer or not.
Revelers cloggedthe streets around the Aetherium, their wild laughter clashing with the frantic drumbeats and the sharp crack of fireworks overhead. Heat and smoke thickened the air, the acrid taste of spent firepowder burning in her throat.
Araya yanked her hood lower as a man slammed into her shoulder, slurring something unintelligible at her before lurching away. She kept moving, weaving through the crowd without meeting anyone’s gaze.
She didn’t slow until the towering spires of the Aetherium were behind her, crossing the bridge into the outer districts. The crowds were thinner here, the raucous celebration giving way to a subdued hush as she passed through the shadow of the crumbling wall that separated Ravonfar from the city.
Relief unfurled in Araya’s chest as she spotted Serafina waiting near the gate. The Healer spotted her too, greeting her with a scowl.
“You’re late.” Serafina grabbed Araya’s arm, not giving her a chance to catch her breath. “I’ve been waiting for ages!”
“Sorry—” Araya fumbled out her papers for the guard as Serafina dragged her forward. “Work ran long. And then, you’ll never believe it—Jaxon showed up.”
“Jaxon?” Serafina snatched her papers back from the guard so abruptly that Araya flinched, half-expecting a reprimand. “What didhewant?”
