A look of alarm flashed across her face. "Splitting hairs?"

Instinctively, she ran her hand over the length of her braid, as if she was going to protect it from...well. Something.

She knew it was foolish. Obviously, it was some kind of idiom and Raleigh wasn't actually suggesting any harm come to her hair, but she couldn't help it. It was a primal fear. An instinct. Something that had been branded on her soul from a very, very, painfully early age.

She still remembered finding Lief...

Swallowing hard, Ariadne forced herself to get go of her hair. "Thank you. That's kid of you to say."