ARIA POV
Rain tapped softly against the large windows of the living room, turning the house quieter than I liked it to be.
No one was talking anymore and all around us there was the kind of silence that settled after storms, when everybody was still waiting for the next crack of thunder.
Owen was curled against my side beneath a thick blanket on the couch, his small fingers absentmindedly twisting the fabric of my sweater while Ella sat cross-legged near my legs, unusually quiet for once.
Alaric stood near the fireplace.
Just… standing there with his arms crossed tightly over his chest like his body physically didn’t know how to exist right now.
His jaw clenched so hard he'd probably cracked a molar and his eyes kept drifting toward the kids every couple of seconds.
Watching.
Waiti
