Chapter 163

“Hi,” he said, his vatre wovering the

“What do you want?” I asked, my tone colder than I intended, but I didn’t soften it.

“I wanted to know… what you’d like to eat for dinner,” he replied, shifting uncomfortably

I narrowed my eyes. “You could have just linked me, Maxwell. You didn’t have to come here in person.”

He gave a small nod, almost apologetic. “I know. I wanted to ask you directly. Face-to-face.”

I sighed, feeling the walls rise around my heart. “Fine. I’m not hungry. Thanks to the ‘hospitality’ I received here, I’ve learned how to fire on little. Besides, I’m sure I’ll find something to eat in the woods. Tell Bianca, or whoever’s cooking, to leave me out of the food plan.”

I turned to leave, but he reached out, his hand brushing my arm. I glanced down at his fingers on my skin, and he withdrew them quickly, his expression pained.