~Zaria~

The firelight from the camp still paints the trees behind me when I hear his footsteps. He’s trying to keep them light, but I’ve known Levi’s tread too long not to feel it in my bones.

I don’t turn around. I keep walking into the shadows until his voice finally cracks through the air.

“Zaria… wait.”

That one word is heavy. Guilt always is.

I stop. Slowly. Just enough to let him think he’s getting somewhere. “Careful, Levi,” I say without looking at him. “If ...