Page 39 of A Hunger Soft and Wild

We don’t usually press each other for more than we’re ready to give. That’s been the unspoken rule between us from the start—our stories offered up like spare coins, never demanded. I expect Aria to let it drop.

But she doesn’t.

There’s a pause, and then, quietly, “Well, she talked about you a lot.”

The sword scrapes as I snap it into its sheath and stand. My pulse thunders in my ears. “Why did you even talk to her? She’s not safe. People like her... they don’t care about anyone but themselves.”

Aria’s eyes widen. “I barely spoke with her, Roan. Besides, she was far more interested in you than me… What’s wrong?”

I rake a hand through my hair and turn away, pacing along the edge of the clearing. My chest is too tight, my thoughts too tangled. “Nothing. I just—” My jaw flexes. “Forget it.”

Silence falls, thick and heavy. I know she’s watching me. Waiting for me to explain. But how do I tell her the truth?

How do I tell her that I hated seeing Selis here?

Not because of who she is, but because of how she looked atAria.

Like she was something to be figured out, a puzzle to solve with amusement curling at the edges. Like she was something to test—poke, prod, see what makes her react.

Like she was something Selis could have if she wanted.

And gods, the way she smiled at her—lazily, knowingly, like she already had the answer. Like she’d seen the way Aria tucked close to me by the fire, the way I always positioned myself between her and anything that might be a threat, and thought,That’s interesting.

Like she couldtakeher.

Like I wouldn’t kill for her.

And that’s the worst part. Because Iwould.

I know exactly what kind of person Selis is—how she tests people, presses too close just to see them squirm, takes what she wants simply because she can. I’ve seen it before, been on the receiving end of it more times than I care to admit.

And I’ll be damned if I ever let her try it with Aria.

I grip the hilt of my sword and force my jaw to loosen before I crack a tooth.

Because how do I tell Aria that I wanted to tear Selis apart for even looking at her?

I turn away from the fire. My pulse hasn’t settled since Selis rode into camp, all easy smiles and casual familiarity. It should’ve been a brief annoyance—a flicker of the past, easily snuffed out.

Instead, it’s lodged beneath my skin like a splinter.

“Roan?” Aria’s voice cuts through the quiet, cautious but steady.

I clench my jaw and run a thumb along the sword’s edge. “Aria.”

She doesn’t move. I can feel her eyes on me, sharp and searching. “Are you…well?”

I let out a short, humorless breath. My hands are still tight with the urge to rip something apart.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I say, forcing my voice to stay even.

Her fingers twitch against her knee, like she wants to reach out but thinks better of it. “You’ve been tense ever since she showed up.”

Tense. That’s a polite word for it.

I grip the hilt tighter. “She’s gone. Doesn’t matter now.”

Aria shifts on her feet, arms wrapping around herself. Her hair, still mussed from sleep, falls into her eyes. “You don’t mean that.”

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