Sela and all of Mikasi gathered together to watch Tushka and his warriors prepare for their journey back to their village. Some pulled themselves up onto horses and others worked on fastening their food to their saddles. Tushka, however, spoke to Sela's mother and father, Yanash and Awanita. Awanita smiled warmly and wished him a safe journey home. Sela swallowed hard at what she called him. Son.

Yanash's grin was brighter than the sun. He clamped a large hand onto Tushka's shoulder and squeezed it with affection. "We will see you soon, Tushka Hlampko. Please pass our greeting onto Issuba Hlampko (Strong Horse) and Bok Balili (Running River)."

Tushka nodded firmly. "I will," he swore, returning the gesture and squeezing Yanash's shoulder.

After parting with her mother and father, Tushka comes to stand in front of Sela. That familiar tenderness returned to his eyes, and he reached out a hand to caress her cheek. "We will be fully betrothed next time we see one another."

She forced a smile. "Yes," she agreed, masking her disappointment. "I look forward to our union, Tushka."

A lie, but one he could not detect as he leaned down to brush his lips over her forehead. Before she could so much as blink, Tushka was gone. She watched him climb onto his horse, straighten his back, and roll his shoulders into position. With a single word, he commanded the attention of his warriors and clicked his teeth to get his horse to move.

Sela's eyes looked away from Tushka to find Kael's brown eyes already fixed upon her. He stood beside her Pokni with stiff limbs, his lips pressed together tightly. Her breath stuttered for the first time in what must have been days. Just looking at Kael had her stomach clenching, her body aching. She was ashamed to admit that she missed him the entire time she spent ceremony prepping with Tushka and her mother.

"Sela," Yanash whispered.

Sela broke eye contact with Kael to look up at her father. He watched her a little too closely. "Yes, father?"

"I am making an offering to our Creator before the sun rests. I hope to have you there with me before you join your mother and your aunts."

"Oh," she murmured, nodding. She hadn't tried to connect with the Creator in a long time. It wouldn't hurt to speak with her and ask for her guidance. Even if she had never answered her before. "Of course, father. I'll join you shortly. There's just someone I need to talk to first."

Awanita opened her mouth to protest, but Yanash was already sweeping her away in another conversation. Sela didn't know if that was her father trying to help her or not, but she took it as a sign to escape while she could. Pokni grabbed Luksi's hand at her side after catching sight of Sela walking over and told her to walk her home. Although Luksi obviously wanted to stay with Kael, she did as their grandma wished and told him she'd see him soon. Sela huffed under her breath at that, but she hid it behind a smile once she got close enough to him.

"Hi," she murmured, her voice softer than she'd like it to be.

Though Kael's expression was unreadable and hard as stone only moments ago, something around the edges of his eyes grew gentler, his lips falling from their solid grimace. "Hi," he repeated, running his fingers through the long strands of hair falling onto his face.

"I apologize for not being able to see you as of recent," she said, her eyebrows furrowing. She didn't know how to finish that, but she hoped he caught onto the words she couldn't say.

A faint smile spirited across the tips of his lips. It did not reach his eyes, however, and Sela wasn't too sure how to feel about that. Did her absence truly bother him that much? It couldn't have. She'd seen him laugh and smile with Luksi without paying Sela much mind. Even when he worked with Nita and Issi he hardly glanced up at her most of that time. He couldn't have missed her the way she did him.

Sela, troubled by the thought, threaded her fingers together and nibbled at the corner of her lip. She opened and closed her mouth a couple times, searching for something to say. What had her so nervous, she wondered? She'd spoken to Kael so many times before!

But something about talking after Tushka's arrival and departure seemed wrong. Like she'd done something wrong instead of following her duties. The duties she grew up having, and the duties passed down from both of her families, generation to generation. Her father traveled far to marry her mother and integrate his own traditions. The least she could do was honor them.

Sela would expect no less from the chief of the sea, who grew up with something similar.

"Can we talk?" Sela finally asked, her voice quieter than usual. She did not like the odd tension between the two of them. Not when everything before felt so easy.

Kael watched her briefly, his eyes back to being unreadable. Sela did not know what he was searching for exactly, but before she could ask, Kael's response was right there with a nod. His encouragement to continue, however, caused a temporary flutter of nerves to erupt in the pit of her stomach.

"I um, wanted to apologize again for not speaking the last few suns. I—we've been trying to get ready for our ceremony," she spoke up.

Kael blew out a rugged breath of air and glanced away from her. His jaw tightened, his throat bobbing which each hard swallow. "Oh," was all he managed. Something in his rough voice trembled.

"I questioned him," she said, quickly. "But he had nothing to do with your injury, Kael."

His brown eyes found her face again, narrowing just slightly. "And I suppose you believe everything he tells you?" he asked harshly.

Sela found herself taken aback by the Kael before her. She'd never seen him so hostile towards her before, even if it had more to do with Tushka than her. He was always so . . . so bright. And sweet and warm. She didn't recognize the man before her. He was untrusting, frustrated, and cold. A combination that rivaled some of the stories her mother told her about his kind.

And she did not like that.

"He hasn't given me a reason not to trust his word," she replied, her voice just as cool as his. "He had reasonable answers to my questions, Kael. If he had done it, I would know."

"He could be lying, Sela. He knows you would figure out he had something to do with my injury if he admitted to being on the water."

"I—" Sela faltered. But it was only for a moment. She saw Tushka's eyes whenever she tried to bait him into admitting something. She may not want to marry him, but she knew he had nothing to do with what happened to Kael. It

"No," she finally said, her voice firm. "He did not do it."

Kael crossed his arms over his chest, and it took all the focus Sela had not to look down. "Could your betrothal be clouding your judgement, Sela?"

Sela lost her breath. Much to her dismay, her cheeks grew uncomfortably hot, and she shifted in her moccasins. It was the first time Kael said anything directly about her betrothal or marriage ceremony. Usually, it was like he was trying to avoid it. Like they were both trying to avoid it.

But there was no avoiding it now.

"It has nothing to do with it," she forced through gritted teeth.

"But doesn't it?" he pushed. "Why do you protect him so fiercely? A man that you hardly want to marry?"

She exhaled sharply at that. The defensive tone in her voice was hard to mask as she said the first thing to come to mind. "I should be so lucky to marry into Tushka's tribe. Into his family."

"And what about him? His tribe and his family have nothing to do with marrying him."

"He is a wonderful man."

"You say Tushka is a wonderful man, and yet, you do not wish to marry him," he insisted, his jaw still tight.

Sela huffed under her breath. How did their conversation change so much in the first moment they've had together in the last few suns? It started with questioning Tushka's innocence, and now he was asking about her feelings for him. Why would he care about that so much?

"Why does that matter to you? He is innocent, he didn't hurt you. So why should my marrying him matter?" Sela demanded. He'd never asked her anything similar before, so why now? When he should know Tushka was not the one who hurt him?

Kael's breath was unsteady once again. His frustration twisted his unfairly beautiful lips into a frown. He shifted his crossed arms, the movement rippling the muscles in his chest like a wave, and his eyes locked onto hers once again. There was something there, now. Something that was not there before.

And for just a moment, Sela lost her breath.

"It matters to me because . . . because—"

Before he could finish that thought, a familiar voice slithered between the two of them, halting his words.