“Because that’s the whole fun of the pit!” Mavek cried. “Huddlin’ around it with the stars in the sky, smokebugs crackling, and a belly full of drudd to keep you warm.”
“I could go for a fire,” Sath said, as he hefted the roast pan back off the table.
“Cassia?Don’tbreak my heart, Miss Cassia,” Mavek said, clasping his hands together and giving her a mock-begging look.
“It sounds fun, I’m just… a little tired. Sorry,” Cassia apologized.
Aevrin helped with the dish effort, then made a weak excuse as the others filtered outside. Cassia had already gone up to bed. His stomach felt twisted as he at last slowly trudged up the stairs. There was a light under her door.
He knocked twice.
“Yeah,” Cassia said. He opened the door just in time to see her settling the mattress back down onto the bed.
“What’re you doing?”
“Just messing with the sheets,” she said, straightening and sticking her hands into her trouser’s back pockets. He couldn’t help but notice the way the move pushed her chest forward a bit.
“You really going to bed now?”
“No. I just didn’t feel up to a whole thing,” Cassia admitted. He tried desperately to read her face. Something was off. That was all he could figure. It made his chest ache terribly and his legs feel twice as heavy.
Was it him? Was Cassia about to tell him she didn’t want anything between them?
“You wanna talk?” He asked, equal parts hoping she’d say yes and terrified of what might happen if she did.
She seemed to hesitate, looking silently down at the floor for a moment before nodding.
“Yeah,” Cassia said quietly. “Can… do you wanna go for a walk?”
“A walk?” He’d thought she was tired. Freezing or not, it was cold outside tonight.
“I’m restless.”
“Well, alright,” Aevrin said with a frown. “You got a coat? Need to borrow one?”
She shook her head no and grabbed the pullover he’d given her. That had to be a good sign, Aevrin thought hopefully. He didn’t reach for her hand as they went downstairs, still nervous that she was about to reject him, but his hand was itching to. He grabbed his coat and they stepped out onto the porch.
“Wanna walk on the road?” Aevrin suggested as they walked down the steps in the front of the house.
“Um… maybe that’s not the best idea,” Cassia said. Her voice was shaky, and she had her arms folded over her chest. “Could we just… I dunno, wander over by your land or something?”
Aevrin nodded and they took off around the left of the house, towards the iron oak. It was invisible in the dark with their eyes still adjusting, but he knew its location by heart. To the left he could see the bonfire Mavek was building.
“Cassia, what’s going on?” Aevrin asked, after they’d been walking in silence for a minute. He didn’t think he could wait any longer for an answer.
Cassia gulped and reached up to tuck her loose hair behind her ears.
“We ran into Larie today.”
He was so braced for the issue to behimthat he blinked at her, shoulders straightening.
“She say something?” Aevrin growled. Saints help him, if Larie had made untoward words to Cassia about her staying at the ranch or her past or some such…
“Yeah,” Cassia said. Her voice was still shaky. “Aevrin, I… I’m kinda scared.”
“Hey,” he said. He stopped walking and grabbed her by the shoulders, turning Cassia to face him. Aevrin kept his hands on her arms, gripping her as he stepped closer sothey were just an inch or two apart. It took everything in him not to squeeze her tight against him. “Scared ofwhat,Cassia? What did Larie say?”
“Someone came by her shop yesterday. A man.”
