The silence that followed still clung to me even after Auren left.
It wasn't the comfortable kind, but the suffocating sort that settled deep in your chest and refused to let go.
Auren had left without answering Lucian's question, and Lucian… he hadn't spoken for a full minute. The air was still, thick with the echo of everything unsaid.
Then, without warning, he moved.
He turned toward me and dropped to one knee, his movements slow, calculated, like everything that had just happened didn't exist. His hand reached for mine, cool fingers wrapping gently around my wrist.
I blinked, too stunned to say anything.
And then he muttered under his breath, almost like he was scolding himself, "What kind of phoenix can't even heal herself?"
His tone wasn't mocking... It was somewhat weary, quiet, and threaded with a concern so raw it caught me off guard.
I swallowed, my throat suddenly tight. "I… err… didn't even know I was supposed to be able to," I whispered.
