I swallowed hard, the giddiness wobbling, slipping into something tender and sad.
“I thought Atlas was there,” I admitted to his earlier question, and my voice came out smaller than it had been. “I thought he needed me.”
Theron let out a sigh of frustration, muttering, “Well done, asshole, you made her sad.”
Aster’s face tightened again, fury returning, this time aimed outward.
“It wasn’t intentional,” he gritted out.
“Aww, don’t fight, you two, try to remember how much you like each other,” I suggested, making them both scoff at the same time. So much for that then… jeez.
We finally reached Theron’s tent, which was larger than the rest. The guards at its entrance moved instantly, pulling back the heavy flap, and Theron stepped inside without hesitation. The space within was warmer, dimly lit by lanterns that cast golden light across the fabric. There was a bed that looked far too expensive for a camp, the sort of bed that made you forget soldiers and weapons and the constant threat of death surrounded you.
Aster followed, ducking inside with barely restrained violence, his eyes moving rapidly between Theron and me as if he expected to find blood on the floor.
“What happened?” he demanded again, voice tight. “What did they do to her?”
“He was a meanie,” I said, making Aster frown.
“You mentioned Atlas. Did someone lure you away from camp?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding solemnly. “He lied. It was mean,” I said again, just in case he didn’t get the meanie memo.
Theron’s jaw clenched. “It was,” he agreed with me again quietly.
He set me down carefully on my feet, keeping one hand at my waist as I swayed, and the second his grip loosened, my body tried to tip forward like a drunk bird.
Theron turned slightly, and in the lantern light I could see the faint shimmer beneath his skin again, the residue of unleashed power still humming through him like aftershock.
“She was taken,” he said evenly. “By someone who has been watching you both from the beginning.”
Aster’s hands curled into fists.
“And you let her leave camp alone?”
Theron’s gaze slid to him, as sharp as glass.
“Sheleft camp alone,” he corrected. “AndIfound her.”
I opened my mouth to defend Aster because, in my head, Aster was my friend, and Theron was, well, terrifyingly beautiful. But still, the man who had threatened to turn me to stone, and yet the thought tangled in my brain like a ball of yarn.
Instead, I reached out and ran my fingers along Theron’s arm.
His muscle shifted beneath my touch, solid as stone, warm as skin.
“Oh,” I murmured reverently.
Both men went still.
Theron looked down at my hand as if it had become a creature in its own right. Aster stared at it with horror.
“What are you doing?” Aster hissed.
“Investigating,” I replied, very serious. “He’s very…firm.”
Aster looked like he might choke.
Theron’s mouth twitched, the ghost of a smirk appearing.
