Violet
Rowan settled onto the ground on my other side, close enough that his shoulder nearly brushed mine.
Without a word, he reached down and took my free hand.
His fingers laced through mine with a firmness that left no room for argument, and he held on like he had every right to.
Kael's head turned sharply.
"What are you doing?" he hissed with a low edge in his voice.
Rowan didn't look at him. He was staring down at my hand in his, his thumb pressing against my knuckles in a gesture so familiar it made my chest constrict.
"Holding her hand," Rowan said simply. "You're holding the other one. I don't see why I can't hold this one."
Kael's grip on my right hand tightened a bit too possessively. It felt more like he was restraining himself from doing something far less civilized.
"Because I was here first," Kael said flatly.
"That is nice. I'm not sending you away."
I sat between them, completely frozen.
