A frown had already formed on Rowen's face by the time she reached him, his posture stiff as if he was carved from stone.
"I got this today," she said brightly, forcing a lightness into her voice. She lifted the sword just enough for him to see it properly, angling the polished blade so it caught the sunlight. "Isn't it pretty?"
Rowen didn't even glance at the weapon.
His attention remained solely on her.
He was quiet for a long moment, brows furrowing as he studied her intensely.
"I saw you two just now," he said, his voice low and serious as he tried to make sense of the scene he just witnessed. "Only husband and wife kiss like that."
A small smile tugged at Circe's lips. "But we are husband and wife."
"But your case is much different," Rowen replied sharply. "And you know it."
The scowl he leveled at her was so achingly familiar—so much like her own—that Circe bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
