Aaron nearly froze.
He recovered quickly, but the empress's words had landed like a hand on his shoulder in a dark room — sudden and completely unexpected. His eyes drifted to her on instinct. She was sitting with the same unhurried grace as before, the easy smile still resting on her lips, her tea cradled in both hands as the hammock swayed beneath her.
She looked calm. Playful, even.
The words, though, hadn't felt playful at all.
"Empress," he said carefully, "this is Alyssa. She's from the venom tribe, but — she's more of a companion to me than anything else. She saved my life."
"Aw." The empress turned her face toward him, head tilting slightly. "So it's not a gift for me?"
