Ava~
I walk towards him and sit, leaving a careful distance between us, like the space itself could shield me from whatever storm he was about to unleash. The mattress dips slightly under my weight, and the faint scent of him—spice and something darker, something distinctly Varder—wraps around me like an unwanted embrace.
"Relax," he murmurs, his voice low, almost amused.
"I am relaxed," I snap, too quickly, too sharply.
His lips twitch, like he's holding back a smile. "Your clenched fists say otherwise."
Damn him.
I loosen my hands immediately, placing them on my lap, willing my body to obey me for once. "You said you had something to discuss. Say it."
For a moment, he doesn't speak. And I hate that I notice the way his gaze drags over my face, slow and deliberate, like he's trying to read something written beneath my skin.
"I saw Hazel today," he finally says.
My stomach tightens.
Of course.
Of course this has something to do with her.
