As if nothing just happened.
As ifeverythingdidn’t just happen.
The moment he’s gone, I let out a long, shaky breath.
Lyra drops beside me, grinning like she’s just won a prize. Fenric, on the other hand, looks like he wants to vanish into the ground. He won’t meet my eyes—and thank the gods for that.
“Well,” Lyra says, entirely too loud. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I groan, dragging a hand over my face. “Oh my gods, Lyra—”
“No, no. Don’t even start. You two might as well have just fucked in the dirt right here in front of everyone.”
“Okay, Ly,” Fenric mutters. “EvenIhave a line I’m unwilling to cross.”
He stands over me, squinting like he’s afraid I might be in pieces. “That was . . . something. You alive down there, sweetheart?”
Lyra grins. “She’s fine. It’s all good and well. Believe me.”
She doesn’t even look at Fenric while offering me her hand. Like nothing about what just happened was completely, utterly unhinged.
“Come on, lover girl,” Lyra drawls. “Let’s get you off the ground before you start fantasizing about him pinning you again.”
I take her hand begrudgingly, scowling. “Oh fuck off.”
“Youloveme,” Lyra sings. Then, as she hauls me up, she leans in and whispers, “You know I’m right, though.”
I turn to Fenric, desperate. “A little help, please?”
He raises both brows. “Lyra, sweetheart . . . let me try.”
Then to me—calm, too calm: “Amara, dear . . . you two really need to sort this out. Maybe next time, try actualwordsinstead of sparring in front of the whole outpost like it’s some kind of foreplay.” He scrunches up his nose. “I say this with love.”
“I know,” I mutter. “I hear you.”
They loop their arms through mine and start pulling me toward the mess hall. The field moves around us, the usual sounds of warriors training returning.
But I’m somewhere else.
Because they’re right. Everyone saw it. Everyonefeltit.
Even Thane—especially Thane.
I’ve been running. Pretending. Telling myself I could end this on my terms—before it ever got too real.
But the thing is, it’s real. It’sbeenreal—not separate from the bond. It never was. Itisthe bond—all of it.
I feel it now—throbbing low in my chest. Not just a pull, buta wound. I press a hand over my heart, rubbing the spot where I feel it, trying to ease the discomfort.
“I’m such a fucking coward.”
The words slip out, soft and true. And my friends hear them.
Lyra’s smile softens. “You don’t have to be.”
I blink the tears back, swallowing hard.
Fenric pulls me into a side-hug.
