He tipped his head to the side, blond waves falling across his eyes. “Yes. I very much want to.”

“Perry, what about …” Aria trailed off, not sure she wanted to voice the question that had plagued her for months, but she had to know. Even if it meant hearing something that would crush her. “You told me you’d only be with another Scire, and I’m not …” She bit her lip and finished the sentence in the safety of her thoughts. I’m not like you. I’m not what you said you wanted.

Her face warmed as he watched her. No matter what she said or didn’t say, he’d scent the depth of her insecurity.

He shifted closer, tracing the line of her jaw. “You changed the way I think about a lot of things. That’s only one of them.”

Suddenly she couldn’t imagine leaving him. She had to find a way to make this work. The tribe would hate her for being a Dweller—she was sure of that. And if she and Perry arrived at the compound hand in hand, the Tides would lose all faith in his judgment. But what if she and Perry turned the focus onto something else? Onto something they both needed? An idea took shape in her mind.

“Did you tell the Tides anything about me?” she asked.

He frowned. The question seemed to catch him off balance. “I told a few people you’d help find the Still Blue.”

“That’s all?”

“I haven’t talked about us with anyone, if that’s what you mean.” He shrugged. “It’s private.... Between us.”

“We should keep it that way. I’ll go back with you as an ally, and we’ll keep us out of it.”

He laughed, the sound flat and humorless. “You’re serious? You mean lie?”

“It wouldn’t be lying. It’s no different from what you just said: keeping it private. We could ease the tribe into it that way. We won’t talk about us until we have a better idea of how they’ll take it. Roar would keep quiet if we asked him. Would Reef?”

Perry nodded, his jaw clenched. “He’s pledged to me. He’ll do anything I ask of him.”

The sound of a branch snapping pulled her attention to the darkened woods. Three distinct strides took form, one heavier than the others. The rest of Perry’s guard was on the way. They spoke in quiet tones, yet each voice was unique to her ears, as singular as the features of a person’s face. “The others are coming.”

“Let them come,” Perry said. “They’re my men, Aria. I don’t have to hide anything from them.”