Aria
The wind bit at my skin, cold and sharp as I stood beneath the towering trees just beyond the edge of the hall. The further I got, the harder it became to breathe. My lungs burned, but not from the run. From the ache in my chest. From everything I had swallowed down since stepping into that place.
“Aria!” His voice followed me again. Closer now.
I stiffened but didn’t turn.
“Aria, please.”
I turned around slowly. My heart thudded against my ribs, not just from the cold but from the heat of everything boiling inside me. Kai stood a few feet away, his chest rising and falling, cheeks flushed from chasing after me.
“What do you want, Kai?” My voice cracked. “Haven’t you taken enough?”
His face twitched in confusion. “Aria, I—”
“You already stole so much from me,” I snapped. “Your
