“Hey,” I replied, moving quickly to my dresser to grab clean clothes.
“You don’t have to hide in the bathroom to change, you know,” Silver said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. “It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before.”
My face burned. “I’m not hiding.”
“You’ve been avoiding me for three days,” he pointed out, setting his book aside. “You leave before I wake up, come back after I’m asleep, and you practically build a pillow wall between us in bed.”
I pulled on my boxers under the towel, keeping my back to him. “I’m just trying to be careful. The last thing we need is another incident.”
“Ash.” The way he said my name made me pause. “Look at me.”
I reluctantly turned around, still clutching the towel. Silver had moved to the edge of the bed, his expression serious.
“I miss you,” he said simply. The words seemed to unmake all the walls I’d built over the past few days. “And you’re right here in the same room.”
My chest tightened. “I miss you too. But I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of losing control again,” I admitted. “Of hurting you. Of making everything worse than it already is.”
Silver stood, crossing the small space between us in two strides. He stopped just short of touching me, and I could feel the heat radiating off his body.
“Can I touch you?” he asked softly.
I hesitated, my eyes dropping to the bracers on my wrists. “What if?—”
“The bracers are designed to contain your magic during emotional surges,” he reminded me. “Professor Blackwood said so herself. They’re not going to fail just because we touch.”
I wanted to believe him. Gods, I wanted it so badly. But the memory of that angry security guard, of the panic on everyone’s faces… it all kept flashing through my mind.
“I don’t want to risk it,” I whispered.
Silver’s jaw tightened, and for a moment I thought he might push the issue. Instead, he took a step back, giving me space.
“Okay,” he said, though I could hear the disappointment in his voice. “But we can’t live like this forever, Ash. We’re going to have to figure this out eventually. Whether this is a mate bond or a true love spell, it’s going to run its course one way or another. You and I both know we can’t resist it forever.” He dropped his gaze for a moment. “It… It’s tearing me apart already.”
“Silver…”
“Sorry,” he added quickly. “I wasn’t trying to guilt trip you. I just…” He shook his head. “Just forget I said that. It wasn’t fair.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said, dropping the towel and pulling on my jeans. “You’re right. I have been avoiding you.”
I sat down on my side of the bed, keeping a careful distance between us. The mattress dipped slightly under my weight, and I felt Silver shift beside me.
“I just don’t know what to do,” I admitted, staring down at the bracers. “Everything feels so out of control. My magic, thisbond thing, living here with you... It’s all happening so fast and I don’t know how to handle it.”
“We don’t have to handle it all at once,” Silver said gently. “We can take it slow. One step at a time.”
I laughed bitterly. “Taking it slow? We already blew through that option when I teleported us through the wards.”
“Fair point,” he conceded. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t try now.”
I finally looked at him, really looked at him. His silver eyes held such warmth, such genuine concern that it made my chest ache. How had I gotten so lucky and so cursed at the same time?
“What if they can’t find a way to break it?” I asked quietly. “What if we’re stuck like this forever and you have to give up everything to be with me?”
Silver was quiet for a moment, his expression thoughtful. “Then I guess we’ll burn that bridge when we come to it.”
