As if by magic, Aria's body relaxed as he placed a kiss on her forehead. She let him move her, simply grateful that her nightmares were not properly grounded, not completely. She was much safer here than in them. He said that he would protect her if she let him and habit forced a thought to flash across her mind: 'but who will protect you from me?'<br/><br/>Her eyes flickered with confusion as her mind threw off more of the dreams. No. That wasn't him. He didn't have any reason to need protecting from Aria. That was her. The Summer Court girl. The friend, the target's shadow. This is him. That was then, this is now and she wasn't a part of that anymore.<br/><br/>Everything moved in her mind so quickly. Faerie thoughts were want to do that, when not strategic. When she stilled them, and when the confusion left her eyes, she found herself held close to Phoenix as he looked into her eyes with his hand on her cheek.<br/><br/>"I'm sorry," she whispered. Not for the nightmares, or for the trouble, but for what she had said earlier. If her nightmares reminded her of anything, it was that some trust bonds were strange, nearly impossible, and entirely important.