Azrael's POV
*****
"Why did you bring me out here?" Celeste queried after they left the Crimson Expanse. "You know I've got to prepare for the Hybrid trial, right?"
He didn't respond. But simultaneously, his grip on her hand never faltered as they navigated through the forest ahead. It was quiet, the noise from the Blood Trials fading the further they got.
"Are you taking me for a ritual or something?" She chuckled, tone sarcastic. "I won't call myself the best sacrifice material though. But—hello?"
This time, she rooted her feet to the ground, yanking her hand out of his. "Can you at least say something without making me feel like I'm being kidnapped? I thought we were past this... Mysteriousness?"
Stopping in his tracks, he turned, just in time to see her pout.
Adorable.
"I simply thought," he began, taking a step closer, "we could use some quiet. After all that pretending like we weren't staring at each other."
