Her lips parted slightly, disbelief flickering in her eyes. "Trust you?" she echoed faintly. Her gaze hardened just a little. "You brought me here," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And now you ask me to trust you?"
The words hung between them.
But Edmund did not let go.
If anything… His grip tightened. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to keep her there.
"I know," he said quietly. "And I am sorry… I realized my misdeed a bit late, but I am ready to amend it. So please… if you can trust me, would you do as I say?"
Ariel peered down into his blue eyes, searching.
There was no mockery there. Only something heavy.
Something that looked too much like regret.
And still… She could not bring herself to trust him.
"I should trust you?" she asked, her voice trembling, tears gathering in her eyes. "Trust you to use me for a ritual I know absolutely nothing about? Something no one even thought to explain to me?"
