ARIA POV
I was half-convinced Lena was about to turn Elias into a pool of blood. I didn't even know why, which made it ten times more dangerous—unstable, like a fuse that had already reached the powder.
I was freaking sure from the look on her face she was about to explode all over again if I didn’t step in.
I slid off Drake’s back, my legs still a little shaky from everything that had just happened, and the moment my feet hit the ground, he nudged his massive head against my side, insistent, grounding, like I was the most precious thing he had ever touched, like letting me move away from him even for a second physically hurt him.
My fingers brushed through his fur automatically, a silent reassurance for both of us, before I forced myself to look away.
His presence wrapped around m
