NATHAN’S POV
She avoided me, not in the obvious way not leaving rooms when I entered or refusing to speak—but in the smaller ways that mattered more. She didn’t linger, didn’t look at me longer than necessary. Didn’t step close unless she had to. After the night with the rogue, something had shifted, the distance we had before had been controlled.
This was different, this was caution and I had caused it. I found her in the garden again. Of course, her ankle had improved enough that she could move without wincing every step, but she still favored it slightly. I noticed that immediately.
I noticed everything about her, that was becoming a problem.
“You shouldn’t be standing on it for too long.”
She didn’t look at me.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
She paused as if really thinking about wh
