Things remained tense with Ash. We rode back to the castle in near silence. He helped me dismount and hovered at my shoulder on the walk back to my rooms, but there was no chat. And definitely no laughter.
A part of me grieved it. He was a friend that I cared about. And I knew he would have put his life on the line if I'd been under threat. But his unwillingness to listen to me when I told him how I was feeling was a huge red flag.
I was starting to think that maybe Ash's attachment wasn't to me, but to himself. His pride in himself for what he would do, and this idea he had that he could be my savior.
I shook my head at myself for the unforgiving thoughts, but they wouldn't leave me alone. His reaction when I tried to explain had been to make me doubt. And even though I knew he didn't know everything that was happening, so of course he'd be skeptical, it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
He wasn't listening.
