For a moment, Eiden didn't move. The silence stretched, long enough for Anore to feel it press against his skin like a weight.
Then, slowly, Eiden leaned back, folding one leg over the other with languid precision.
"She is someone you don't need to concern yourself withmm" he said finally, his tone even, almost bored but there was something under it.
Anore frowned. "She looked at me like—" He stopped himself, unsure how to put it into words.
Like a prey. Like glass waiting to be shattered. Like a doll she wanted to crack open and see what would spill out.
"Like what?" Eiden asked, his voice so quiet it almost wasn't there, but it curved around the edges of the question like a blade hidden in silk.
Anore hesitated. His lips parted, but the words tangled before they could escape. His heart drumming hard against his ribs.
Eiden's gaze stayed on him, steady, unyielding. "Say it."
