Aria POV
The forest had grown quieter the deeper we rode into it. I got the chance to at least catch a glimpse of the estate from the tree line before the woods swallowed the view entirely. Fenrir had said nothing since we entered, and I had matched his silence without difficulty. I was used to quiet. Quiet had been my company for weeks.
Suddenly my eyes caught it. A buck, large and still, standing between two trees about forty feet ahead. Neither Fenrir nor Ronan had spotted it yet. Fenrir's attention had shifted slightly to the left, tracking something else entirely. Without thinking, I pressed my hand back firmly against his forearm to stop him from moving the horse further. That quick, unplanned touch sent something radiating down my spine. I liked it. But that was not something I ne
