CHAPTER 62

ARIENNE CALLOWAY

My legs felt like they were seconds away from giving out. Every muscle in my body burned, my knuckles ached, and the sharp sting on my lips told me I was still bleeding.

But the roaring crowd—the flashing cameras—none of it mattered.

Because the moment I pulled off my mask, I wasn't the Goddess anymore.

I was just Arienne.

And the first thing I saw? Fay and Blair—barreling toward me at full speed.

"Ari!" Fay's voice cracked as she threw her arms around me. Blair joined a second later, nearly knocking me off balance, not that I had much left in me to stand straight.

"You—" Blair pulled back, gripping my shoulders. "Are you out of your damn mind?"

"You should've told us your leg was this bad!" Fay scolded, but her voice wavered. "We—We could've done something!"

I exhaled shakily, a smirk tugging at my busted lip. "And miss the chance to see your horrified faces?"

"Not funny!" Fay snapped, but her hug tightened.

My body was already giving up, my breaths shallow, but before I could stumble, another presence loomed behind them.

Cole. And... Zayn.

Fay and Blair finally let go, stepping back just as Cole reached me first. He looked me over, his usual easy-going expression completely gone. "Shit, Ari, you—"

He didn't even finish his sentence before pulling me into a hug, careful but firm, like he wasn't sure if I'd collapse on him.

The warmth was comforting.

But it was the next presence—the next touch—that made something inside me freeze.

Zayn.

He didn't lunge at me like the others. Didn't throw words at me in frustration.

He just placed a hand on my waist, barely even there, steadying me before I could trip over.

And shit.

My body was exhausted, aching, bruised. But that single touch sent a different kind of shiver up my spine.

I tilted my head up, meeting his gaze.

His brows were furrowed, his lips pressed into a tight line. But his eyes—those dark, unreadable eyes—held something else.

Something I couldn't place.

Something I didn't have the energy to question.

So instead, I exhaled, my head tilting just slightly toward his shoulder.

Maybe it was the exhaustion.

Maybe it was the damn pain.

Or maybe—just maybe—I just wanted to stay close.