Alabaster Cities (Kings and Thieves Book #2)

Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

Ari's chest ached. Tears were sliding down Aveline's cheeks, and she was covering her eyes if to hide it.

"Avie." Ari closed the distance between them in two strides, letting his hands slide up underneath her hair to cup her cheeks. "Shh, Aveline, sweet, it's alright." His first mate gaped at him, tearful and piercing and miserable, and he wiped her tears with his thumb, slowly moved her hands away from her face. "Shh..." Ari wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she let out a quiet sob into his chest, and rested his chin on the top of her head.

Ari let her cry, though his first instinct was to panic, but it was the most emotion Aveline had shown in weeks; and the other part of him nearly collapsed in relief.
"Whatever it is, we'll fix it, I promise," he soothed.

"No." Aveline's voice was scratchy and muffled from his coat. "We can't."

"Why not?" Ari let out a small huff, took her shoulders and pulled away to face her. "Tell me," he whispered. Pleading. "Talk to me. I will drop everything else for you, you should know this-"

"I know you would Ari, of course I do," she pleaded, "but you have enough on your plate right now, and-"

"None of that matters. Not when you're hurting."

She tried to pull away, but he let his fingers encircle her wrists. Not yet. "What's the matter? Is it Camille?"

Aveline glanced at him, startled. Her eyes gave her away; they were large and frightened, like a spooked horse. Ari lifted his chin slowly. So he was right.

Her voice was barely audible. "I'm supposed to do this on my own."

"No," Ari said raggedly. "We don't do things on our own. We're a team. If you were in my position you would be forcing me to let you in right now-"

"But this is different!"

"Different how?"

She didn't respond, and Ari let out his breath through his nose, trying to control his frustration.
"I wish you could just be honest with me."

"I'm always honest with you," she argued.

"No," he shot back. It was windy out, and drizzling tiny pinpricks of rain, but Ari knew he couldn't leave the beach until he'd had an honest conversation with her. He was anxious, and tired, and he just wanted everything out on the table. Whatever that meant. They'd deal with it. "Not this time. Something is very wrong, and you think I don't notice but I do."

The wind railed against them, lifting the back of Ari's overcoat and ruffling Aveline's curls.

Ari stood his ground. He needed to hear this, and she needed to say it. Say it.

A droplet of rain stung his cheek, and Ari waited, and finally Aveline's shoulders slumped, like she was surrendering.

"I just feel... off."

Ari held his breath. "Off?"

Aveline nodded.

Ari bent down to her height, trying to make eye contact. "It hurts?"

"Not really. Just feels..." her brows furrowed, taking on that distracted expression that she now sometimes wore. "Strange."

"Where?" Gently, not making any sudden movements as if not to frighten her away, Ari gently touched his finger to his temple. "Is it in here?"

Aveline shook her head.

Next Ari unfolded his hand across the cross-tied fabric at his chest. "Here?"