Page 4 of Aria's Desire

“Does that mean he’s begun the change from genderless to either male or female? Is he still ahe? I haven’t ever gotten the vibe that Bree was a lesbian, but—”

“He is altering, yes. He becomes male. The change is gradual but intense. Already, his manner becomes more protective, bold. He no longer cowers.”

“You’re proud of him,” she realized, her lips parting with something that felt a lot like wonder at the look of almost paternal pride on his face.

“Yes. He has come far. His life, the things he was forced to do and endure, were vile, but he did not lose hope. Those things could have easily twisted him. They did not. He has a good heart. It pleases me greatly to know he has a chance at happiness. He has earned it.”

Staring up at him, listening to him talk about Eseh like that, Aria realized that Sin had changed. Some part of her still saw him as the wild dragon man, as someone she needed to help, someone whose impulses she needed to keep control of, someone she couldn’t quite trust. But that wasn’t him anymore.

Whether helping Eseh was responsible for this change, or something else entirely, she didn’t know, but it was jolting. Aria prided herself on her ability to read people, but at some point, she’d lost that with Sin.

What else wasn’t she seeing? Who else had changed without her noticing?

Gazing up at him, she felt like she was seeing him, really seeing him, for the first time. She took in the perceptive look in his eyes, the calmness emanating from him where before there’d been so much anger and hurt, the understanding expression on his face, and felt ashamed of herself. She’d been treating him as a liability, as less than. While that wasn’t at all intentional, it still hurt to realize.

“Your thoughts have turned heavy,” he rumbled softly.

Blinking, she drew in a breath. Her first instinct was to evade his unspoken invitation to share her thoughts, to keep the distance she’d painstakingly created between them, but that felt… wrong, now.

Opening up to him could very well change the dynamic between them. It was inviting a closeness she didn’t know if she could deal with while maintaining the distance she needed to keep her feelings for him in check, but she also couldn’t just dismiss him, not after that realization. She owed him an apology.

“I just… you’ve changed and I- I missed it. I’ve been treating you like you’re still the man I found in that cave and you aren’t, not anymore.” She caught the surprise that flashed across his face and felt even worse. “I’m sorry, Sin. I never intended to—”

He cupped her cheek, the achingly gentle touch locking the breath in her chest. For the barest moment, he let her see: fierce devotion, tenderness, desire so intense it bordered on obsession. Then it was gone, hidden, locked away like a door slamming shut in her face.

And Aria was left feeling bereft.

He was giving her exactly what she needed, exactly what she’d been silently demanding for months—distance between them, a polite wall, a refusal to acknowledge the emotions they both hid—but goddamn, it left her feeling hollow.

When she didn’t say anything, he straightened and, without a word, turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone, staring after him, aching for things she couldn’t have.

Chapter 3

Back inside the complex, Aria watched the activity in the lobby from the hallway, working herself up to weather the inevitable flood of people who’d ambush her as soon as she walked in.

Feeling someone come up behind her, she stiffened, but a happy quiver from her little passenger—the semi-sentient bead affixed to her hair Tirox had gifted her what felt like ages ago—told her who it was.

Like magic, a smile instantly curled her lips, the always-present weight on her shoulders lifted, and anticipation quickened her pulse.

How such a fearsome, deadly, scary-looking male could evoke such lighthearted happiness, she had no idea, but he did. Every damn time.

Without turning around, Aria greeted, “Hello, my demon.”

Thickly muscled arms came around her, pulling her back against an equally muscled chest as Tirox bent to nuzzle her neck.

“Hello, my fierce little goddess.” He paused his nuzzling and made a low, knowing sound. “You are stressed.”

She’d known he would pick up on the lingering tension tightening her shoulders. Settling in his arms, her smile became a wry smirk. “Turns out taking over the world is stressful.”

“Mmm, I know how to fix that.”

Without warning, he spun her around, lifted her up, and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, then took off back down the hallway.

“Tirox! What are you—”

“Shh, I am going to fix your stress.”

Pushing up on his back, she twisted around in time to see him opening the door to… a closet? Understanding, amusement, and warmth spread through her as he closed the door behind them and let her slide down his chest, bracing her against the door and wrapping her legs around his waist.

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