Evaline:
River's question cut through the haze in my mind like a blade. My panic didn't vanish, but it dulled - replaced by sharp awareness. I was suddenly hyper-conscious of every tremor in my body, every breath that still came too fast, every ounce of vulnerability I had just exposed.
He had seen too much.
More than anyone ever had.
And I needed to fix that... fast.
Swallowing hard, I pulled my shoulders back, straightened up, and forced the emotion from my voice. "It's nothing," I said, too quickly, too flatly. "Let's get back to the main hall. We have been gone too long."
I turned toward the door, needing the distance more than anything. But before I could reach it, River moved.
Fast.
He stepped in front of me and blocked the door with his body, one hand braced against the wood behind him. "No."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"What's going on with you and Ethan?" he repeated, quieter this time, but there was steel beneath the calm.
