Chapter 12

• Ava’s POV
• I raised my bottle of beer and gently tapped it against Damien’s glass. “Thank you,” I said, my voice soft but full of something that felt strangely like gratitude... and maybe something more.
• The smile that tugged at my lips wasn’t forced this time. It came from somewhere real somewhere warm. And the moment it met his eyes, I saw it. That subtle shift. His composure faltered, just for a breath. A silent ripple through the frozen lake that was Damien.