Page 46 of Aria's Desire

Relaxing, she nodded. She’d wondered if he had any family and, if so, when she’d meet them, but hadn’t wanted to ask in case they’d passed away.

“Do you know if they’re still there?”

He gave her an odd look before he seemed to realize something. “I suppose we never… huh. Yes. They will be there. My mother was the leader of the village. By now, my eldest sister would’ve taken over,” he murmured, sounding almost surprised, as though the realization took him off guard.

Aria thought she understood. Sometimes, it was hard to remember time passed, and life went on, even when you weren’t there to see it. She’d felt that way every time she visited her brother and saw how much his kids had grown.

“Are you nervous to see them again?”

“I- yes.” He shook his head and gave her a tense smile. “Silly, I know.”

“Not silly. You’ve changed. I felt the same way when I—” She almost referenced the last time she saw her parents and how nervous she’d felt, but that hadn’t been real. It was a figment of Zhrovni’s mind control. Clearing her throat, she smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be okay. Sin and I are here with you. If anyone’s an asshole to you, I’ll kick their ass.” She winked to let him know she was kidding. Mostly.

“Ah, about that… ” He never got the chance to finish because, just then, a shrill whistle rent the air.

Chapter 25

Jerking her head around, Aria saw a line of people blocking them from entering the village. In the middle was a large female, armed to the teeth and staring directly at Aria with unmistakable aggression.

“Rellik?”

“Uh, stop here for a moment,” he directed then prodded his ikkar forward.

Trusting him, she bit back her questions and did as he asked, though it made the skin between her shoulder blades tight to let him go into a potentially dangerous situation without her. Sin moved up on her other side, stopping when they were even.

Without taking her gaze off of the people ahead of them, she whispered, “If this goes pear-shaped, aim to wound, not kill, unless they give you no other choice.”

His answer was a low rumble and a clipped, “I’ve got right.”

She had to stop herself from looking at him, needing to keep her attention on Rellik, but damn if those three words didn’t make her feel warm and tingly. With that short sentence, she knew he had her back and that she could depend on him.

Aria trusted him, always had, but only ever to an extent. She was beginning to understand exactly how unwarranted that was. Maybe it hadn’t been at first, but now? He’d proved himself to be reliable, trustworthy, unwavering.

The uncomfortable realization sank in that she’d been appallingly unfair to him, expecting him to adapt and acclimate within days, even hours, after being freed from enslavement for the first time since he was a teenager.

Blowing out a slow breath, Aria compartmentalized. Now wasn’t the time to confront the shame she felt about her actions. She would apologize to him, but right then Rellik needed her to watch his back.

Or so she thought…

Aria frowned sharply when Rellik leapt off his mount, went right up to the large female, and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Calm,a roínseah,” Sin whispered.

It wasn’t until he covered her hand with his and moved it off her gun that she realized she was stroking it. Nudging his ikkar closer to hers, he kept hold of her hand, twining their fingers together.

When she didn’t pull away, he began stroking his thumb over her knuckles, the slow brush of his calloused skin and the warmth of his hold comforting.

After a couple minutes, Rellik turned back and waved them forward, but there was something about his expression that made her wary. It was almost apologetic.

Dismounting, Aria looped the reins over the ikkar’s neck, knowing she’d stay nearby, and scanned the woman as she and Sin approached.

She stood a little taller than Rellik, maybe six foot four, with a large rack of scuffed, chipped horns rising at least a foot over that. Her frame, though feminine, and definitely thinner than she should’ve been, was hard with lean muscle, and her stance told Aria she was accustomed to being in charge.

Despite the hostility on her face, she was pretty and, this close, Aria could see the resemblance to Rellik. It was in the shape of her lips and the strikingly bright eyes they shared. Realizing this was likely the sister he mentioned, the lingering animosity from seeing him hug her eased.

Aria noted the challenging look on her face, but ignored it, and offered the female a polite smile.

“Greetings—”

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