ASHER’S POV
The sun was out for once—no fog, no stormclouds looming. Just that soft spring warmth that made the trees look greener and the pavement less gray. It was a beautiful day in Hollowbend a small town just outside Raven’s Peak.
Ember sat across from me at a little patio table outside The Juniper Café, poking at a sandwich she’d barely touched. Her camera bag rested by her feet, and her hair kept catching the breeze, brushing across her cheek. She looked… tired. The kind of tired that lives under your skin, not the kind you sleep off.
“I know I said I was hungry,” she muttered, pushing lettuce aside, “but I think I lied.” She added.
“You didn’t lie,” I said, sipping my iced tea. “You just forgot your stomach exists.”
That earned the tiniest smile. “That’s fair.”
Truth was, she
