New Weapon

Neville glanced at them, a flicker of confusion crossing his otherwise weary face. However, he knew this was his signal to grant the couple's some privacy.

Without a word, he retreated to the far side of the room, busying himself with making the poison, though the tension in the air was palpable.

Esme still clung to Donovan in his arms, her heart racing as she absorbed the moment, his own heartbeat drumming steadily. The sound of his voice eventually broke the tension.

"Are you alright?"

His gentle words startled her, snapping her out of her momentary daze. She quickly pulled from his embrace, realizing a little too late that she had been holding him, lost in the rush of her own emotions. She took a step back to look at him, and the fact that he was fine despite enduring all that torture was a little hard to take in.