Ash Between Us

~13~

Rynn let out a slow breath through his nose. He wanted to shove her off, to snap at her for making him weak, but instead his grip on the rifle slackened just slightly.

Kali felt it. Of course she did. "See?" she whispered, her lips close enough that he felt the shape of the smile against his ear. "You're already softer than you think. Stronger, too. It's not weakness to let someone take the edge off."

Her words cut through him worse than Jace's jabs ever could. Because there was something in her tone-not teasing, not mocking-that sounded dangerously like truth.

"You don't know me," he muttered, though his voice lacked the bite he wanted.

"Oh, I know enough." Her hands moved lower, working into the corded muscle along his arms. "I know you don't sleep well. I know you fight like every battle might be your last, because in your head it already is. And I know..." She leaned closer, breath hot against his skin. "...you want to trust someone. You just don't dare."

Rynn's heart hammered in his chest. He forced his eyes on the dirt, on anything but her. "Why are you saying this?"

"Because," she said, pausing her hands just long enough to let the silence sink in, "someone has to remind you that you deserve more peace than you allow yourself. Even if it comes from the wrong hands."

Her fingers traced lightly down the line of his arm, not possessive, not playful-something almost gentler, almost careful. He hated how much it soothed him. Hated how much he wanted it to be real.

"I don't..." He swallowed, fighting to find the words. "I don't deserve that."

Her laugh was soft, unguarded, brushing warm against his ear. "Maybe that's why I like you. You fight for everyone else but can't stand the idea of someone fighting for you."

The world felt smaller then, pressed into the circle of her touch and the whisper of her voice. For just a moment, he let himself lean back into the log, breathing deeper, as if she'd stolen the weight from his chest.

"Rynn."

The name snapped him back like a slap. Verrin's voice, steady and low, came from just beyond the circle. The big man stood a few paces off, arms crossed, eyes fixed on him-not mocking, not curious, but serious.

"Man to man," Verrin said, jerking his chin toward the treeline. "Got a question for you."

Kali's hands lingered a heartbeat longer, nails grazing his skin like a promise. "Saved by the brute," she whispered, voice curling with amusement again. "But don't think this conversation's over."

She withdrew, leaving his muscles burning with the ghost of her touch. Rynn gripped his rifle tighter, grounding himself before standing to follow Verrin, though he already knew-he wasn't walking away from what she'd left in his head.

Rynn trailed after Verrin toward the treeline, boots crunching on the loose dirt until the camp sounds dulled behind them. The shade swallowed them whole, the trees thick enough to make the world feel smaller, quieter.

Verrin stopped by an old stump, arms crossed over his chest, his broad frame half-hidden in the mottled light. For a long beat, he just looked at Rynn. Not sizing him up like Jace. Not circling him like Kali. Just steady.

"Alright," Rynn said, impatient. "What's this about?"

Verrin shrugged, scratching at the scar that cut down his jaw. "Nothing fancy. Just wanted to ask, man to man-are you gonna keep butting heads with Jace until one of you gets the other killed? Or can you rein it in when it counts?"

The bluntness made Rynn bristle. His jaw tightened, but he forced himself to answer. "I don't start it. He runs his mouth, I answer. Simple as that."

"Yeah." Verrin huffed a laugh, dry but not cruel. "That's what every hothead says before fists fly." He leaned against the tree, folding his arms. "Look, I get it. Jace is a cocky bastard. He digs at people 'cause he's afraid if he doesn't, they'll dig at him first. Doesn't excuse it, but that's who he is."

Rynn frowned, looking away. "And what am I then?"

Verrin didn't hesitate. "You? You're the guy who's got more weight on his shoulders than he knows what to do with. I've seen men like you before-you fight like every mistake is the end of the world. It makes you sharp, but it also makes you crack easy."

Rynn let the words hang between them, raw and too close to the truth. For once, he didn't argue.

Verrin gave him a slow nod. "Point is, I don't need you two best friends. I just need to know when steel's flying, you won't hesitate 'cause you're still pissed about what he said in training."

Silence stretched, filled only by the wind moving through the leaves. Then Rynn exhaled and muttered, "I can keep it together. I don't have to like him, but I won't get anyone killed over it."

"That's all I needed to hear." Verrin's mouth ticked in the barest hint of a grin. "Good. 'Cause between you and me, I'd rather have you at my back than Jace anyway. Just don't tell him I said that."

Rynn couldn't stop the short laugh that slipped out, quick and unguarded. "Wouldn't dream of it."

For a moment, the heaviness between them eased, replaced by something almost like camaraderie. Two men who didn't waste words, but who understood each other in ways the others didn't.

Verrin clapped a hand to his shoulder, the kind of gesture that said more than words could, then started back toward the camp. Rynn lingered a second longer at the treeline, letting the quiet steady him before following.

For the first time that day, it felt like he wasn't entirely carrying the weight alone.