ARIA POV
I yanked my arm away from Lucien and stumbled backward. My heart pounded so hard I could barely hear my own thoughts.
"What do you mean you're the reason my parents are dead?" I asked. The forest seemed to spin around me.
Lucien's eyes had returned to normal, the strange red glow fading. He reached for me, but I backed away again.
"Aria, please," he begged. "I need to explain."
"Then explain!" My voice cracked. The cut on my arm throbbed, blood seeping through the makeshift bandage.
Lucien looked around nervously. "Not here. We're not safe."
As if to make his point, another howl echoed through the trees – closer this time. Kael was coming.
"Fine," I said, rage mixing with fear. "But I want answers. All of them."
Lucien nodded and led me deeper into the forest, away from the direction of the howls. We moved quickly, quietly, until we reached a small clearing with a stream running through it.
