Theron kept hold of her hand, his thumb resting lightly against her knuckles as if afraid she might vanish the moment he loosened his grip.
"Why?" he asked quietly.
Aveline frowned, not understanding what he meant.
So he added, more gently, "Why are you asking me that?"
"Where are you taking me?" she asked instead.
It was a simple question. It should have been easy to answer. But for Theron, it was not.
He drew in a slow breath and leaned back slightly, his gaze lowering for a moment as if he were weighing something far more fragile than the words themselves.
Because this was not just about shelter. It was about where she would belong.
He had already decided something for her in his heart, but how was he supposed to say it when she still kept so much of herself hidden? If Kael was right, if Aveline really did have something powerful buried inside her, then she was standing on the edge of something far greater than she realized.
