A disappointment? Never could Lizzan be. Yet he had made her feel so. “You are no—” Aerax broke off, and panic clutched his heart when she began to rise out of the water. “Not like this,” he said hoarsely, catching her hips before she could step out. Once before he’d let her leave with hurt and misunderstanding burning between them. Never could he again. “Please. You are no disappointment. After the red fever, I know you had barely a moment away from your duties, let alone time to petition the crown. Please, Lizzan. Do not go when we are like this.”
