Aelion looked at her sharply.
There was no hesitation in her voice when she said it. Only quiet certainty, as though somewhere in this cruel world, there had truly been someone who chose her. Someone who stood beside her when everyone else walked away.
And what she got was so important to her that she was spreading that feeling around.
An unpleasant feeling twisted inside Aelion's chest at the thought.
His fingers curled slightly at his side before he could stop himself.
"A man, perhaps?" he asked.
The question came out lighter than he intended, but he already regretted asking it the moment the words left his mouth.
He did not understand the strange prickling sensation beneath his ribs. It irritated him. Annoyed him. Not as much as that smile on her face, but it irritated him nonetheless.
And yet he wanted the answer anyway.
"Yes," Aveline replied immediately, meeting his eyes.
She did not lower her gaze. She did not smile shyly. She did not attempt to hide it.
