Page 22 of Obsession

look around, taking in the news cameras and guns trained on us. How many people are watching? What do they think of this display?

Aris doesn’t seem to even notice them.

“Who scared you?” he repeats.

“You,” I lie, and take a few steps out of his reach.

Aris tilts his head, his hand falling to his side. “I see.”

Does he? Can he? For a moment, I am terrified that the rune isn’t working, that he can read my mind and knows everything: Jaegen, our plan, the desire I feel toward him.

“This is an interesting development,” Aris continues casually. “You come to me, frightened of me, you claim, after swearing never to face me again. You come in the middle of a warfield, stopping Ryan in his task—interrupting my plans.”

“Is there a question there?”

“It has been six days. I anticipated you’d take longer to return to me.” His gaze on me is critical, and I realize that he can’t read my mind. He would’t be fishing if he could.

“I guess we’ve both been busy,” I just say.

If he is annoyed by my evasiveness, he doesn’t show it. “I see,” he says again, eyes combing me over. “Your hair is different.”

Honestly, amid all the chaos, I’d forgotten even changing it. I touch my hair self-consciously. Why is it my first instinct to ask if he likes it?

He walks closer to wrap his fist around my braid—once, twice. He pulls lightly, my scalp tingling as he turns my head from side to side. “The color is different,” he notes. “And it’s shorter.”

I hold my breath and wait for his verdict, but he just lets me go, creating some distance between us. His eyes stay on me, almost impossible to read; he does look somewhat displeased, though.

“It used to be our body,” he says eventually. His voice is level, distaste managed. “And you’ve changed it without me.”

I straighten, crossing my arms over my chest. “Without your permission?” I spit.

“No. Just…” He pauses. “Without me.”

Before I can ask what that means—did he seem almost vulnerable?—Aris looks to scrutinize the individuals hiding behind rubble. Following his gaze, I wonder if there are microphones. Can they hear us?

His lips curl. “Vultures.”

“Let’s leave,” I say quickly, before he decides to kill them, too.

His eyes dart back to me, interest renewed. “Leave together,” he says slowly, testing the words. His lips perk; he likes how this sounds. “You are so willing. I’m assuming you’ve returned with a scheme to stop me?”

I should lie, but he’d pick up on it immediately. I decide to stay quiet, and Ryan growls from behind Aris.

“Now, now.” Aris waves him down, then turns back to me with a smirk. “Whatever you have planned, I welcome you to try it. It’s good to see a fire in you again.”

A fire in me.

I don’t know what to say, the sight of him and his dancing black eyes striking me anew. It’s unreal that he’s here—Aris, the villain of my story. I have a million questions, so many things to say, threats to make. I want to hit him upside the head; I want to tell him about Jaegen and get his opinion. I want him to tell me his plans. To confide in me.

I tell myself I want his confidence to better betray him, but my heart isn’t in it. Even after everything.

The distance he regards me with burns. I used to spend every day all day talking to him, and now…

“What will you do to them?” I ask, trying to get myself back on track as I glance around the broken city and the people hiding within it.

Aris studies me. “What would you like?” he asks. “Let them live, let them die, raise their dead to serve as my army of skeletons?”

I give him a flat look, hoping the last comment was a joke. “Let them go, Aris. Please.”

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