Page 78 of Aryn

“Oh?” I challenge, refusing to confirm anything.

“Mm hmm. The denial that anything is happening. The confusion about why you’re so drawn to him. The anger at having your choice stripped away.” The last one lands like a gut punch. I must flinch, because his face softens. “It’s okay to not be okay about this, you know.”

“It’s not him,” I admit quietly, even though Ronan’s ears twitch like he’s listening. “Aryn is… incredible.”

“He seems like it,” Cameron agrees sincerely. “And he seems to let you run the show.”

“He does.”

“Does he want to be mated to you?”

My throat thickens, and I force a swallow. “That’s not for me to tell.”

“Alright, so that’s a yes. But… you don’t want that?”

“I…” The words die when I spot Aryn’s deep red skin moving between the vendors. He stops to talk to a handsome monster with a deep purple complexion I’ve never seen before, then flashes him a laid-back, sincere smile. It hits me hard enough that I want to march over and yank the guy out of the way so I can be the one on the receiving end of that smile.

“It’s complicated,” I repeat.

Cameron follows my stare and nudges me with his elbow. “You could give it a shot.”

“That’s not how it works with him,” I say, sharper than I mean to.

“Okay, okay, I’ll back off,” Cameron says, hands up in surrender. “Just… think about why you’re holding back. If you don’t want to be with him, I respect that. That’s your choice. If you’re doing it to give the Fates a middle finger, trust me, I get that too. But if you’re doing it because you’re scared—”

“I’m not scared,” I snarl.

He rolls his eyes at my temper. “—or if you think you don’t deserve this…” He trails off, reaching back to weave his fingers with Ronan’s. “I know what it’s like to believe you’re meant to be alone, Cato. You aren’t. And I think you know that.”

I do know that.

I also know what it’s like when it’s all ripped away.

My head shakes as I try to find some kind of response, but Aryn turns our way and starts weaving back through the crowd. We instinctively huddle closer as he approaches. When his hand lands on my lower back, everything else fades and I can barely focus on whatever he’s saying.

“Thulga gave us way too much coin,” he says with a frown. “Enough that we won’t have to worry about supplies for the rest of this trip, and we’ll still have some left over. How would you feel about staying in the inn tonight? It would give us a chance to shower and restock in private, plus some time to collect information from the locals.”

“You had me at shower,” I groan.

“We can afford it?” Taryn asks skeptically.

Aryn shoots her a dry glance. “We definitely can.”

We head for the inn, which Aryn tells me is called River’s Rest. Inside, an enormous stone hearth crackles in the main room. Stale, spilled ale mixes with whatever meat they’re roasting in the back, but I take a deep breath and soak in the signs of life. Aryn and Ronan handle the conversation with the innkeeper while the rest of us hang back. A few minutes later, they return with three keys.

Ronan pockets one before passing another to Taryn, and my eyes lock onto the last one in Aryn’s hand. His fingers tense around it. “We, uh, thought it was safer to double up.”

My stomach does a stupid, stupid little flip. “That’s fine,” I say, maybe a little too quickly. Cameron snickers, but Aryn only glances at me with a quiet question in his eyes. I shrug, trying to sound casual. “As long as you don’t mind.”

A small, soft smile pulls at his mouth. “I don’t mind, Cato.”

My heart kicks harder as we head upstairs, agreeing to meet back up in an hour once everyone’s settled. The room is simple but clean, with wooden floors, a big bed piled with furs, and a two-person table. There’s a fireplace already burning bright with extra wood stacked nearby, and a private washroom off to the side.

The moment the door closes behind us, the silence becomes stifling. Aryn clears his throat. “I didn’t mean to assume anything.”

I meet his eyes. “I wouldn’t have said I’m comfortable if I wasn’t.”

He studies me for a second, then nods. “Alright.”