She felt angry, hurt, ashamed, and broken, yet not a single one of those emotions was her own. It was like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

The only emotion she knew for certain was hers was confusion. She hadn’t been able to catch everything they’d said, but what she had understood, hadn’t helped.

Jaeros Barilias had looked exactly how Jaren had described him. An inch or two shorter than his son, he was tan skinned, with long, dark hair tied at his nape, and a matching trimmed beard, both speckled with gray. Given the lifespan of most Magyki, she could only guess he was much older than he appeared.

His nose was slightly too big for his face, and his oaky brown eyes had practically been mini celebrations in his face when he’d seen his son. Bright, shimmering, and full of the kind of relief she imagined only a parent could possess.

He’d looked exactly like the sweet, nurturing man Jaren had described him as. So why had all that joy died out the instant he’d spotted her? He hadn’t acted like someone who’d loved her as much as Jaren had claimed.

None of it made sense, and she had so many questions she wanted answers to, but she wouldn’t do that to Jaren. One look at him told her if she even tried to bring it up, he’d fracture right before her eyes.

She didn’t know what to do to help him. It wasn’t like she could ask him about his feelings right there in the middle of the street. He wasn’t much of a talker, even in private.

He loaded up their new belongings and glanced down at her as he snatched her hand again. The anger still in his eyes crushed her. It darkened their hue, making them muddied and dull, and not at all like the bright, fierce green she so loved.

Heading for the closest food vendor, he quickly purchased two meat pies, barely placing one into her hand before they were moving again. He didn’t speak a word to her as he tore into his meal and dragged her around the corner, finally spotting their lodgings.

By the time he’d checked them in and led her in their room for the night, he was practically vibrating with everything he was pushing down. It was coursing inside him like a violent storm. All it would take was one thing to set him off, and she knew in her very being that he’d take out everyone around him.

She was overwhelmed just by the echoes of everything he was feeling. She couldn’t even imagine how he was coping under its full weight.

She remembered the hurt she’d felt when she’d learned that Elric had kept her identity a secret from her. The way her heart had twisted under the knowledge that he hadn’t trusted her or cared enough to tell her the truth. But this was far crueler. Jaren had been betrayed in the worst possible way.