ARIA
Some hours later, we stop for a break.
By the goddess, I’m beyond humiliated.
Ryder sets me down under a tree, and I keep my eyes on my lap. I feel like an invalid, and the worst part is that my sore knee only got stiffer while being carried by him.
I couldn’t walk now even if I wanted to.
He sits beside me, his arm a little too close to mine. I’m pleased to see that he’s panting, and sweat’s beading on his forehead. “I’m too tired to continue.”
“Hm.”
He snaps his head in my direction quickly. I peer at him from the corner of my eye and wonder where the hell that sound came from.
I’m just trying not to panic at the fact that he’s suggesting we’ll have to stay here all night.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
“That wasn’t ‘nothing’,” he claims. I can tell by
