Page 50 of Aria's Desire

Rellik grimaced. “I used to lament how big she was as a child. Now, I wish she were bigger still.”

Aria chuckled, looking at them like they’d done something she found pleasing, though he was damned if he knew what. He was about to ask, so he would know to do it again, but Rellik’s sister called out before he could.

Sin moved with Rellik, joining the circle of spectators. It looked like every person in the village was there to watch the fight.

“You seek to claim my brother, Rellik Li’Aehri?” Hampha asked, her voice loud so everyone would hear. She stood with her hands on her hips, dressed in the same garb as Aria, in the middle of the circle.

Aria stopped opposite her and nodded firmly. “I do.”

“Why?”

Rellik made a startled noise at his side. Peering at him, Sin caught the expression on his face and whispered, “What is wrong?”

“That’s not what she is supposed to ask.”

Sin frowned and looked back at Aria in time to see her glance at Rellik before she faced Hampha again. She frowned and seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment. When she answered, her voice was quiet, thoughtful. “He’s… captivating.”

“Hmph. So, you want him only for his pretty face, then,” Hampha all but spat, looking disgusted. “You think to use him for the pleasure he can give you and give nothing in return? You are no better than… ”

She didn’t finish, but Sin knew to whom she referred: Ishtal, who he knew had treated his friend as little better than a pampered pleasure slave, though Rellik said she hadn’t been cruel. Still, not being cruel wasn’t the same as treating someone with kindness and respect.

Aria stiffened, looking angry, but whether it was at the insult or the thought of Rellik being treated that way, Sin didn’t know.

“No. He’s beautiful, yes, almost unfairly so, and he knows it. He’s charming and practiced and knows exactly what to do and say to make even the most frigid of people desire him.”

Sin frowned sharply, taken aback by Aria’s callousness. Not a single word of that had been uttered in a way that sounded complimentary. Much the opposite, in fact. She made those traits sound like flaws.

Rellik looked… gutted. Sin didn’t think he’d ever been angry with Aria, even after her public rejection of him, but he was in that moment.

Laying his hand on Rellik’s shoulder, he tried to think of something to say to lessen the sting of her words, but there was nothing.

“And none of that is what made me fall in love with him.”

Jerking his head up, he stared at Aria in shock, feeling Rellik stiffen along with him.

“He’s kind, compassionate, thoughtful. Even after all the shit he’s gone through, even after enduring some of the worst the universe could throw at him, he hasn’t lost that. He’s also brilliant, loyal, incredibly brave, and has a wicked sense of humor. I trust him. I know, without any doubt, I can depend on him, no matter what we’re facing. And… I hope he knows he can depend on me, as well.” Aria shifted, her voice softening again as her anger waned.

Hampha narrowed her eyes, searching Aria’s face for a long moment, before she nodded slowly. For the first time, Sin saw her expression soften. “That is good. He is deserving of a true mate. It makes my heart happy to know he has that. But I would still know you can protect him. Best me, and I will consent to this union. Fail, and your claim on him is lost.”

Aria nodded once and dropped into a fighting stance. “Challenge accepted.”

Hampha rolled her head from side to side and shook her arms out. Without warning, she charged, barreling toward Aria.

The fight, if one could call it that, was over quickly. Hampha, for all her confidence, was no match for Aria, even though Sin knew with certainty she was taking it easy on Rellik’s kin.

His chest swelled with pride as he watched her move. Her strikes were fluid, precise, and intentionally aimed to cause pain but no lasting damage.

From the corner of his mouth, he whispered, “She is still angry.”

“I see that.” Rellik sounded dazed. “Do—” He cleared his throat and shifted his weight. “—do you think she meant any of it?”

Sin drew in a slow breath and nodded. “I do.”

He’d felt like his lungs were collapsing as he’d listened to her impassioned speech. Felt hollowed out by her words and the clear sincerity in them. He was happy for his friend, truly. Aria was a hard female to read, and she did not share her feelings readily. To know what she felt was a rare and precious gift, and he was glad the male he’d come to think of as a brother had received it.

But there was an ache, a sharp, painful yearning that she would say such things about him.

Her words to him outside that arena hit him suddenly, almost rocked him back on his heels.

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