He tilts his head. “Not everything.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine, fine — you’ve got a one-track mind.”
He shakes his head. “No. I’ve got a one-heart focus.”
My fingers still mid-braid. The room suddenly feels too quiet. Too warm.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
Instead of answering, he holds something out.
A shard of violet crystal, carved to fit a leather loop. It glows faintly — not bright, not showy. Just steady. Persistent.
“What’s that?” I ask softly.
“A key crystal,” he says. “For clan passage.”
My heart flips. “You’re serious.”
He nods.
“It means protection,” he continues. “Status. Safety. No one touches you without consequences. You walk as one of us.”
I stare at it like it might bite.
“Is this supposed to make me yours?”
His jaw flexes, but his voice stays soft. “You were never something to claim.”
I snort. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“I know,” he says, stepping closer until his shadow falls over me. “That’s why I give it to you now. Not to bind you. Not to trap you. But because if the day comes when you choose me, you should already have the right.”
My throat tightens.
He places the crystal in my palm — warm from his hand, glowing faintly against my skin.
“Take it anyway,” he murmurs. “Not because you belong to me… but because I belong to you.”
My breath stutters.
That’s not lust.
That’s not possession.
That’s surrender.
I slip the crystal into the inner pocket of my jacket — close to my heart — and his fingers brush mine as I do. The contact sparks all the way down my spine.
“I have to go,” I whisper, voice tight.
“I know.”
I step back.
Pause.
Then step forward again and press a soft kiss to his cheek. His eyes flutter closed — just briefly — as if the touch cuts him wide open.
