Chapter 23

“What either of us wants is immaterial to the situation at hand.” Her voice was utterly devoid of emotion and her face was too. Her expression and her eyes were shut tightly, like doors or barred windows made of tinted glass. There was nothing there, no emotion, no pain or happiness, there was just a blank page. It hurt him that she had to do that to keep herself on an even keel, but this wasn’t about him, this was about her and what she had to do to be able to face herself. “The tie must remain imperfect and unsettled and I must flee from you in order to sever it entirely.”

He had a sudden epiphany. “I could leave instead; I can go back to the city and then you don’t have to leave.”

“You cannot sense the bond as I can.” That sadness pummeled the inside of his head briefly again. “You cannot sense the bond call or the tie so you will not know how far is far enough.”

“Is there some way I can?” He thought for a minute. “Wait, bond-call? You can call me?”