The words hung between them, heavier than Jamie had intended.
"You love us?" Azelon asked quietly.
Jamie's heart stuttered. He hadn't meant to say that. The bonds must be affecting him more than he'd realized, making him voice thoughts he'd barely acknowledged to himself.
"I've never been good at wanting things for myself," Jamie confessed. "But this... you and Corin... I want this, but I don't see a path forward that doesn't end with someone getting hurt. I can't abandon my brother and I can't ask you to give up your world for mine."
Azelon shifted closer, his hand moving up to settle on Jamie's chest. The touch sent warmth through their bond, steady and reassuring.
"We will find a path," he said firmly.
"What if there isn't one?"
"Then we forge one."
Jamie looked at the Tideborn, struck by the quiet confidence in his voice.
"I will not lose you," Azelon went on, still in that steady tone of voice. "Or Corin. Not to fear, not to duty, not to the practical concerns of running a business. We will find your brother. We will solve the problem of the store's location. We will find a way to make this work."
The certainty in his voice made Jamie's chest tighten with something that might have been hope.
"You make it sound simple."
"It is not simple," Azelon agreed. "But it doesn't have to be simple to be possible."
A soft sound from Jamie's other side made them both turn. Corin's eyes fluttered open, amber gaze immediately focusing on their faces.
"Morning angst session without me?" he asked, voice still rough with sleep. "I'm hurt."
"We didn't want to wake you," Jamie said.
"Well, you're both projecting louder than I ever did." Corin shifted closer, his hand finding Jamie's hip. "What's wrong?"
Jamie exchanged a glance with Azelon. "We were talking about finding Daniel."
"And?"
"And what happens after."
Understanding dawned in Corin's eyes. "You're thinking about leaving."
"I'm thinking about a lot of things."
Corin was quiet for a moment, his fingers tracing patterns on Jamie's skin. "We'll help you find your brother."
"Thank you."
"And then you'll decide whether we're worth staying for."
The pain in Corin's voice made Jamie's chest tighten. "It's not that simple."
"Isn't it?" Corin sat up, the blanket pooling around his waist. "Either you want to be with us or you don't."
"I do want to be with you. But I also have a life?—"
"You have a life here too." Corin's eyes flashed. "With us. With the store. With magic you never dreamed of."
"In the middle of nowhere."
