Sleepy Fox Hollow this love it is a burning sun

Her eyes lifted, meeting Lorcan’s. His smooth voice was meant to soothe, but there was an undercurrent to his words that made her wary. She felt like a fragile thing caught in the center of something far more deliberate than it seemed—like she’d wandered into a web spun long before her arrival. His reassurances fell lightly, but they didn’t quite reach her guarded heart. She’d learned that charm was often a mask, and even his warmth—something she might have otherwise leaned into—felt like a carefully placed net. His tone wasn’t cruel, but it wasn’t entirely comforting either.

Her gaze flickered to Envy again, the fox’s movements quick and sharp, her words laced with something Elowen couldn’t quite place. Not malice, not entirely, but the bite of them lingered all the same. The comment—Have I scared you?—sent a flicker of heat across her cheeks. Elowen lowered her head just slightly, her breath soft but measured.

"No," she murmured, a quiet protest that didn’t sound nearly as firm as she’d intended. It was true, though—Envy didn’t scare her, not in the way that sent her running. But she unnerved her. Her and her blood-red gaze seemed to want to peel her apart and look at what was left underneath. It was almost too much. Almost.

Elowen didn’t know if she could trust it—them. Still, when he called her "sweet," there was a flicker of warmth, fragile and fleeting. Her tail swayed faintly, betraying a hint of gratitude. And then Envy shifted. Moved back. That space, however slight, felt like a sudden breath of air after too long holding it. Elowen straightened, her slender frame drawing up just a bit as she studied the woman with cautious curiosity.

Her voice, when it came, was quiet but steady, laced with a tentative sort of hope that this strange interaction might settle into something more bearable. “Not very,” she echoed softly, her gaze flicking between them. Still, Elowen let herself breathe, trusting, for now, that Lorcan’s presence would keep things from tipping too far. Her tail brushed lightly against her legs as she settled into the quiet that followed.