Then they’re gone.
Leaving Mara and me alone in the aftermath.
She stands slowly. Tests her balance. No pain. No weakness. The healing complete.
I should feel relief. Ido, in a way. Knowing that her life no longer hangs in the balance. But there’s something else as well. Something like… grief.
“I should probably—” She looks around the room. At anything except me. “I should go get some air. Let you have some space to process.”
“Mara.”
“It’s fine, K. Really. I get it. You need time to—”
“I want you to stay.”
She freezes. “What?”
“Stay. Please.”
“Why?” Her voice is small. Uncertain. “If you don’t know what you feel, why do you want me here?”
Because even without the bond, I’m acutely aware of her. The sound of her breathing. The particular quality of her presence that makes the room feel less empty.
Because my fire recognizes her. Responds to her proximity in ways that have nothing to do with healing magic and everything to do with—
Something.
“Because I would like to talk,” I say. “About what happens next. About what we both feel without the bond forcing connection.”
She considers this. Chewing her bottom lip.
“Okay,” she finally says. “We can talk.”
But neither of us moves. Neither of us speaks.
The silence stretches.
I should know what to say. Should have prepared for this moment. But my mind is a mess—memories of the past mixing with the sensation of the bond breaking mixing with the hollow space left behind.
“Are you okay?” Mara asks quietly. “You look—” She stops. “You look like you’re about to bolt.”
“I don’t know what I look like. I don’t know what I feel.” The admission costs me. “The bond is gone. I should feel relief. Freedom. Instead, I feel—”
“Empty,” she finishes. “Yeah. Me too.”
We’re both standing in the middle of this room. Three feet apart. Neither willing to close the distance or widen it.
“Can I ask you something?” Mara wraps her arms around herself. Defensive posture. “And you have to be honest. Even if the answer hurts.”
“Yes.”
“Do you wish I were her? Lyria?”
I blink at the question.
“No.”
“Are you sure? Because you said her name when we were—” She stops. Can’t finish. Still hasn’t dealt with that moment.
