The Sheriff didn't move out of their way.
He didn't step closer either.
He held the space in front of the truck like it belonged to him by default, and the town held it with him. Sera could feel the attention on her from every angle. It wasn't hostile or unwelcoming, just fixed.
Perdition wasn't asking what she wanted.
It was waiting to see what she did with the knowledge she had.
Aerenyx kept her in his arms as if putting her down would make her bleed again.
Sera let him, because the scar still burned when the truck shifted, and because she understood the shape of his refusal.
It wasn't about making her small.
It was about keeping her from becoming a variable he couldn't control. She could argue later, when they were no longer standing in the middle of someone else's law.
Psycho leaned close enough that she could feel the cold coming off his skin in small pockets.
