Page 39 of Aria's Ascension

Aria realized she’d been following their lead, taking them at their word that they wanted this, that they were okay with it. They were the ones familiar with relationships like theirs. Hell, they were the ones to talk her into it!

No… it was Kix. I don’t remember Tirox saying anything definitive about it one way or the other.

When she realized that, worry rocketed into full-on distress.

She knew she was more than likely overanalyzing the situation. Maybe she was getting upset over nothing, but these two men meant everything to her. Even the possibility of losing either of them was enough to send her spiraling into worst-case scenarios.

Kix must have felt her mounting anxiety—not that she’d had the wherewithal to try and hide it—because he sent her a soothing wave of calm.

Guiding her gaze back to him with a finger under her chin, he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead and whispered, “Be calm,aessa. I will speak to him. Stay here?”

He got up before she could answer and walked over to join Tirox by the river.

Taking a deep breath, she sat up and busied herself with examining the various items she’d taken off the guards, but she glanced over at them repeatedly.

In the pile, she spotted three rings she suspected might be magical healing hula hoops, a couple of flat disks, another two guns, and a matte black, metal stick about a foot long.

Picking up the metal stick, she turned it over in her hands, looking for a button, light, or trigger of some kind, but it was completely smooth. She set it down and reached for one of the rings instead. Pinching it between her fingers, she pulled to see if it would expand like the one Kix used on her in the valley. It did.

Good. Having a way to heal ourselves that doesn’t involve falling into a coma will definitely be handy.

Thinking about her men again, she continued playing with the ring but strained her ears to try and pick up what they were saying. All she could make out was unintelligible mumbling.

After a few seconds, she blew out a breath and resolutely went back to staring at the pile of stuff, telling herself it wasn’t her business what they were talking about. Snatching up one of the disk-looking objects at random, she scrutinized it, pretending she wasn’t still trying to eavesdrop.

That lasted roughly three seconds before low, male laughter had her whipping back around to stare at them.

They were sitting side by side now, their legs dangling in the water. Tirox chuckled again and reached over to give Kix a friendly slap on the back.

Something about the scene had her frowning.

A feeling suspiciously like jealousy fluttered through her stomach, surprising her enough that she almost dropped the disk in her hand.

What the fuck? Why the hell am I jealous?

She turned back to the pile of…whateversin front of her, but she didn’t actually see them. Her mind was turned inward, picking apart the emotions making her feel suddenly edgy.

It took a moment, but when she finally pinpointed the cause, she wanted to laugh or knock some damn sense into herself. Maybe both.

They’d never really paid much attention to each other with the exception of some ribbing and male banter. Sure, they interacted and worked together, but it was only in order to protect her better. Now, they were over there chatting like old friends and she felt… excluded.

Closing her eyes, she rubbed her fingers between her eyebrows and huffed an exasperated breath.

Theyneededto be friends. She didn’t want this to feel like two separate relationships with two different men. She wanted a family. Even without Tirox’s reaction, she knew it wasn’t enough to expect the three of them tobea family, even a weird one, without them having any affection and loyalty for each other.

Despite the shit going on around them, despite how strange she might’ve found it initially, and despite the immense number of obstacles they needed to overcome, she wanted marriage, kids, a home. With them.

Bothof them.

If they sensed or saw her being jealous it could very well ruin not only their budding friendship, but prevent that dream from ever coming true.

Aria drew in a cleansing breath then let it out slowly and looked back at them, but this time she read their body language instead of focusing on her emotions.

Kix looked to be reassuring her barbarian. His shoulders were ever so slightly hunched, making him appear unthreatening, helpful instead of demanding or confrontational. Tirox appeared thoughtful, but relaxed, his expression contemplative and open as he nodded to whatever Kix was saying.

Both her men had a dominant streak. They needed to, to keep up with her. Thankfully, they also both had personalities that drove them to handle problems rationally instead of devolving into fits of temper or being overly emotional. That Tirox was second in command of his clan meant he was level-headed and adept at resolving conflict, and Kix mentioned mediating during trade talks back on his homeworld along with running his own business.

Reasoning that out, and understanding that she could trust them to work this out, eased the remainder of her anxiety.

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