Ayla’s POV
Morning passes in an eyeblink without any of the boys disturbing me. I saw them leaving through the window earlier. Ryker caught my gaze as he stepped outside but quickly looked away. There was something unreadable in his eyes.
“I wonder if he was in some kind of fight,” Tala muses. “He looks kind of beaten up.”
I shake my head. I’ve seen Ryker fight, but he’s never looked this defeated.
A soft knock at my bedroom door pulls me from my thoughts, and I slowly rise to answer.
I smell him before I open the door—Kael. His scent wraps around me, steady and familiar.
“Ah,” Tala chirps. “You’re starting to appreciate it.”
“I’m not!” I argue.
Tala raises her eyebrows but doesn’t reply; the look she gives me says enough.
I open the door to see Kael leaning against the wall.
“Ar
