Lyra tilts her head, resting her cheek on her fist, eyes still fixed on me.
“You’re different today,” she says, watching me like she’s waiting for me to admit it.
The words land too clean, too direct. I freeze mid-chew. My throat tightens around a bite of bread like I just tried to swallow a stone.
She’s right.
For a breath, I don’t say anything. But I could.
I could tell her that I’m not afraid anymore. That I’m done pretending the bond is just magics. That I’m choosing this; I’m choosinghim.
But before I can get the words out, a shadow falls across the table. And just like that, the air shifts. Because he’s here.
Thane.
Plate in hand, expression guarded, that calm, unreadable look he wears when he’s playing Warlord.
Except I can see it now. The way his shoulders are just a little less tense. The almost-softness in his eyes when they land on mine. The slight catch in his breath when he sees me.
The air between us pulls tight. No one at the table speaks.
Fenric glances between us and takes a slow sip of tea like he’s trying to vanish behind the cup. Darius’s brow arches. Subtle. Not subtle enough. Nessa clears her throat. Taila kicks Lyra under the table.
Lyra doesn’t flinch. Just sips her drink and murmurs, “Timing’s a bitch.”
“Morning.” His voice is calm. Steady. Too steady.
Like he didn’t hold me in his arms last night. The bond thrums like the wings of a hummingbird under my skin.
I inhale. Keep my voice even. “Morning.”
Lyra is having way too much fun. She flicks her gaze between the two of us, eyes glinting with mischief.
“Oh, this is fun,” she muses. “You’re both acting sonormal.”
I shoot her a glare.
Thane, of course, doesn’t flinch. He just sets his plate down—across from me. Where he never sits. Picks up his fork like this is nothing.
Like I’m not watching his every move.
But I am.
I feel steadier. Gods help me—because he’s here.
Is that because of the bond?
I exhale slowly. “Thank you.”
He pauses mid-bite. Looks up at me.
“For what?”
For catching me.
For staying.
For being the one constant when everything else keeps shifting beneath my feet.
