For a while, neither one of them spoke—almost like they had said all they needed to say. The silence between Aria and Liora was thick, but not entirely uncomfortable.
It was as though the weight of what had been spoken still hung in the air, pressing down on them. Aria lowered herself slightly against the edge of the table while Liora paced once, then twice, clearly not ready to sit.
Aria opened her mouth to say something else, maybe to ease the tension that had crept between them again—but she jerked up in shock at the sound of a knock on the door.
Her heart leapt instantly, her breath catching. But as quickly as the fear came, it was replaced with relief. That knock was too polite, too respectful. Zyren would never knock on his own door. She knew that much.
She had just gotten up, heading toward the door with her nerves still taut from the earlier conversation, thinking it was the guards, when she heard a knock.
