"Oh, he has a girlfriend, huh?" Ravena's arm, still around Zaeryn from their hug, tightened just enough for her nails to press into his shoulder. It was light—so light Zaeryn barely felt it but he knew she did it on purpose. A quiet warning. Sharp.
Leaning close, she whispered in his ear, her voice low and full of both disappoinment and a challenge. "Traitor. We made a promise."
Zaeryn sighed, carefully moving away from her grip. "You were the one who made the promise. I didn't," he whispered back, his tone flat and defensive.
Before Ravena could answer, a new voice, smooth as glass, cut through the tension.
"A promise?" Sage stepped forward, her violet eyes sharp with curiosity. She looked at Ravena's tight grip and Zaeryn's slightly guilty face with a cool, studying gaze. "How sweet. Childhood promises are cute, but..." She let the pause hang, her smile turning razor-thin. "...they don't really matter in the real world, do they?"
