"Callum." The wind caught a strand of Ash's hair and tossed it in front of her face. She tucked it back behind her ear. "I didn't know you were there."

He chuckled, the sound deep and warm. "I thought about letting it stay that way."

She searched his words for any malicious intent but found none. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't expected to either.

"Why didn't you then?" She forced herself to channel Odella's upbeat energy, to curve her lips into a grin rather than a grimace.

But her mask must not have been as convincing as her glamour. Callum's thick brows furrowed. "I suppose the selfish part of me won out, but that doesn't matter... Odella, are you alright?"

Ash swallowed around the dry thickness in her throat. During her journey with Roan to Volant, he had done his best to instruct her on the way of fooling others. After all, he and the others had been doing it for their entire stay there. The best lies, as he had learned, always stemmed from a place of truth. That was why they went with the story of her mother being ill. She could draw from her experiences and emotions with the real Odella situation.

Maybe she could do such a thing now. She dropped her gaze to her feet, where water still lapped around her ankles. "I just have a lot of things on my mind."

Callum's crunching steps against the sand were Ash's only indication of his approach. His boots stopped at the edge of her vision. The end of the water caught the front half of his foot. She glanced up through her lashes. He stared straight ahead and had his arms tucked behind his back.

"Would you like to share your thoughts?" he asked, still not looking directly at her. "Or would silent company be better? I suppose you may prefer no company at all, though, if you have escaped to the solitude of the beach."

A self-pitying laugh almost broke free. In her attempt to escape her situation, she'd found yet another chance to grow closer to Callum. Except in this instance, maybe she could just welcome his offer of closeness.

"I appreciate your presence here," she answered truthfully. Far too truthfully. The people in this town seemed to adore him, and she had yet to find a reason to blame them for it. She wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed. Tried to hold back the storm of thoughts that seemed to constantly rage in her mind these days.

Water splashed, the sound thicker under his booted steps. He stopped adjacent to her shoulder. Close enough that she could feel the heat of his body but not so close that he touched her.

"You didn't fully answer me." His lip quirked. Still, he looked forward. "I am here to talk if you wish. Otherwise, I am here to take the weight, should you need somewhere to lean. Or someone to catch you should you nearly fall again."

Don't, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Roan's said. Not if you do it without a goal.

But she did have a goal. The goal of just escaping. If only for a moment. She placed her forehead against his broad shoulder. A moment. All she needed was a moment...

Callum allowed them to stay like that for a full minute before he turned his head. His lips brushed against her hair as he asked, "Odella, are you sure you don't want to tell me what happened?"

She almost laughed again. What would his face be like if she told him the problem was him? These people? The fact that their kindness, their friendliness, their normalcy had turned a mission she thought would be hard into something that felt mind-destroying in its confusion?

Odella had done it. Willow, Linden, and Sanford continued it. Roan had brought her here to finish it. What was so wrong with her that she struggled?

"Just stay here, please," she whispered into his chest. "Let me rest."

Another pause. "Would I be overstepping if I were to hug you?"

She considered for a moment before shaking her head. He slid closer, and his arms wrapped around her. Ash settled into his embrace. His clothing smelled of incense and the sea, and she let that and his warmth envelop her, shield her away from reality in a way her own glamour couldn't. For one insane moment, part of her considered dropping it, as if that would somehow return her to stability.

They were silent. The only noise was the lapping of the sea and the distant murmur of the town beginning to settle.

The others would be looking for her soon. She needed to leave. Pulling back from Callum felt like fighting against a rushing river's current. He gazed down at her, his deep blue eyes clouded with worry.

"It's getting late," she said.

He nodded. "It is."

"I should get back."

"As should I."

Neither of them moved. His eyes had her trapped there with their intensity, which she knew was foolish when he didn't look at her. Standing before him was Odella. He made Ash's heart stutter with his earnest openness and the way he cared so deeply for the village around him, but she knew nothing about him. Her feelings for him were nothing like the ones he clearly had for her twin.

But in those moments, they were a strange sanctuary. Maybe because the feelings were so pure. He couldn't have hurt Odella, which meant he wouldn't hurt her. She was safe here. And she was a horrible person, using his feelings to find her respite. But gods above, she needed a moment to not think.

Her eyes slid shut, and an unbidden tear slid out.

Callum's presence grew closer. His breath brushed across her forehead, sending shivers down her spine. "Odella." Her sister's name was a whisper across her skin.

And then his lips pressed between her brows. A gentle, comforting gesture that made everything in her shudder against her need to sob. She was fine. She had to be. She had to figure this out and work through the guilt because Odella needed her.

Another tear fell—

And then the glass shattered.

No, not glass. It sounded like a muted version of that though, as the control of the glamour wrenched from Ash's grasp.

Her eyes flew open. She jerked away. It was the wrong thing to do. If Callum hadn't known something was wrong, he did now. He searched her face immediately, and the differences must have shown. His mouth opened. No words came out, but the confusion written across his face spoke loud and clear.

Ash scrambled, clawing for her magic, but what was she to do? If she slipped the glamour back into place, he would watch it take effect. Panic fogged her mind, and her frenzied heart thundered in her ears. She needed to do or say something—anything—to soothe the deepening crease between Callum's brows.

"I—"

"Odella!"

Both she and Callum started at the unexpected voice. He turned first, and she thanked the gods as her mind began to function again. During the brief moment his eyes were off her, she slid the glamour back into place. She didn't know how she would explain what had happened, but she could figure that out later. For now, it was back. She turned to face the edge of the sand.

Roan stood there, body relaxed, lips curved into a smile, but there was something lurking in his eyes. Disappointment? Anger? Worry? She couldn't tell, but the guilt from before returned with a vengeance, and she wanted nothing more than to throw herself into the sea and let it carry her away. Or drown her. Anything to escape this horrible situation.

Foolish. So utterly foolish. She blinked back tears as she continued to meet his gaze, but they vanished as something even more startling than his appearance happened. Callum shifted, putting his body half-way between her and Roan.

The barest hint of annoyance touched Roan's expression before he trained his emotions to something more like amusement. His shift happened so swiftly and perfectly that it left Ash's head spinning. It wouldn't surprise her if he later confessed to placing a glamour of his own over his face to appear completely different.

"Apologies. I think I have interrupted something," he said before laughing. "Our group was worried when we didn't see Odella for supper."

"I suppose time got away from us." Callum smiled. It was different from the ones he gave her. An edge of... something tucked into the curls of his lips. A dare? Maybe a threat? Paired with the way he had moved between her and Roan, she had the impression Callum blamed the Scion for the state he'd found her in.

What must be going through his mind, and why was he still acting protective toward her despite it? She wished she knew.

But for now, she needed to escape. She squeezed his forearm. "Thank you for staying here with me, Callum, but I really should be going," she said, doing her best to bury all the turmoil still rampaging within her. She feared that if he misread their cause, things would go worse than they already had. "Perhaps we can meet again? Maybe during the festival tomorrow?"

He faced her, his eyes intense as they searched her own for something. Answers to what had just occurred, perhaps. After a moment, though, his expression softened. He brushed her hair behind her ears. The gentle touch sent a shiver down her spine.

"I look forward to it, Odella."

His tone held no anger, no accusation, only sincerity. Ash's heart began to beat normally, but it stuttered once more as Callum led her out of the water and toward the beach's end. Roan stood there, his cordial smile still in place.

By some insane magic, she'd forgotten about facing the Scion in her relief that Callum wasn't pushing her about the odd moment.

"Roan." Callum dipped his chin in a small acknowledging nod when they reached the other man. Some tension remained in his frame, but Callum kept his smile friendly enough. Not all his suspicion was gone, it would seem.

"Your Holiness. Thanks for keeping our dear friend safe while she entertained the ocean fish." Roan extended a hand. "I can take her from here."

Callum hesitated, and something flickered in Roan's eyes. Ash had the strange sensation of standing with a burly bear and a prowling panther. Which didn't make any sense. Neither of the two men should have reason to be on the offensive.

Ignoring the growing unease, Ash peeled away from Callum and took Roan's arm. "Tomorrow, Callum."

"Yes." It took Callum two full heavy seconds to slide his gaze away from Roan and to her. "Tomorrow."

She and Roan walked away first. They had gone a dozen feet before she heard the soft padding of Callum moving in the other direction. She kept her gaze trained straight ahead, aware of the shame heating her neck.

They'd made it halfway back to the tavern without a single word, and the silence finally became unbearable. "I'm sorry," she blurted.

"As you should be," he said, and the burning raced to her cheeks. The edge to his expression faded with his tired sigh. He rubbed a hand over his face. "Now it is my turn to be sorry. That was unfair. I am just concerned, Ash. When I saw you in his arms, and then the magic flickered, I was so sure..."

She sunk into her shoulders. "I don't know what happened. Everything with the magic was fine one moment, and the next I just... I lost it. I've never had that happen before, not even when I was learning to control it." There had been moments she'd lost her grip on it, but the ability to grab it back had been there. She'd never felt as if it had been yanked away from her.

Roan drew them both to a stop, placing himself in front of her. He twirled a strand of her hair on his finger, and she couldn't help but notice he stood closer to her than he normally did. "You have been keeping this glamour up for almost a quarter-lune now. It is possible that you have drained yourself."

Ash reached up to touch her cheek, frowning. She could admit that each night it felt nice to drop the magic, and that with each passing day, it was harder to pull the glamour over herself. That growing fatigue felt different from what had happened, though.

But she didn't get the chance to explain that. The hand that had been at her hair slipped down to cup her hand against her cheek. Ash startled at Roan's sudden gentleness. He'd always been kind, but physical touch wasn't something he gave very often. Even more unnerving was how similar the moment was. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was trying to mimic Callum.

That was foolish, though. Roan had no reason to do such a thing. Her mind was just too exhausted and spinning crazy tales.

But then why did her gut feel so uneased?

"I think it would be best if you rested tomorrow, Ash."

He was leaning close, mere inches separating them. His worried eyes met hers, and she could have sworn the flickering firelights in the town's torches caused his eyes to glow.

She dropped her gaze from his. "But that's the festival. They'll expect to see me there."

He chuckled. "We'll make up some excuse. We can't save Odella if you are too exhausted to be safe." His thumb gently caressed the spot right beneath her eye, and she shivered. The corner of his lips pulled higher. "Don't let him fool you, Ash. It is all too easy to pull someone in when they are seeking someone to hold on to."

Something about his words unsettled her. Not just a prickling unease, but a bone-deep wave of wrongness that she couldn't put words to.

"Come on," he said after a weighted pause. "Let's get you back so you can rest."

Ash couldn't argue, so she only nodded and followed as he led her onward once more. Her face sizzled with warmth, both on her forehead where Callum had placed his lips and on her cheek where Roan had swiped his thumb. But both incidents had left her feeling odd.

With Callum because he believed her to be Odella.

And with Roan... Again, he couldn't have been trying to mimic the priest, could he have been? That made no sense...

With a jolt, she finally realized what had left her feeling so wrong before.

Roan shot her a curious side glance. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice at first. "Yes, only tired, I think."

Although he didn't seem entirely convinced, he took that answer. Ash stared at him for a moment longer before ripping her eyes away and biting at her lip. Her mind wandered back to his eyes when he had talked about fooling someone into being pulled in.

Underneath the gentle kindness had been something sharper. Darker.

Guilt.

What did Roan have to feel guilty about when talking about fooling someone?

*****

I had a ton of fun with this chapter xD All the things sprinkled in!  Callum and Ash fun times, random loss of control on her glamour, and Roan strangeness maybe??? Also, looks like she's unofficially grounded from the celebration tomorrow v_v And after all that hard work, too.  Guess she won't be seeing Callum tomorrow then... Right?

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D Let me know if you want to join