Lucian's POV.
Emory walks back over to me - she's smiling, but her eyes carry a certain sadness that wasn't there before. It doesn't sit well with me, something deep inside me stirs uncomfortably. I am overcome with a primal desire to protect her. To keep her safe from anything and anyone that might cause her pain.
"Everything okay?"
Emory doesn't answer me right away, almost like she's trying to come up with the right thing to say - a suitable answer to give that won't lead to any further questions that she doesn't want to answer either... In the end, I have to settle for a stiff nod of her head - the smile still perfectly in place.
A part of me wants to push her for an answer. I want to know what's going on in her head. I want to understand her. I want to be there for her - be the pe
