The darkness might have been right, but the bond between Dravok and me was more than mere love. In that moment, I didn't just know. I didn't just feel it. I accepted that our bond was eternal.
The pressure eased, just slightly. But it was enough for me to force everything I had into one final effort.
Move!
My finger twitched.
The darkness snapped back, furious now, its calm certainty cracking.
This isn't over, it warned.You can't keep him.
The weight vanished. I gasped violently, sucking in air so hard it burned. My body jerked, muscles unlocked painfully all at once, and I rolled onto my side, curling up as if I could protect myself from the echo of it.
The room was empty. Silent. Normal.
I lay there shaking, tears soaking the pillow, and my heart was racing like I'd just outrun death itself. Maybe I had.
Slowly, carefully, I reached inward again. The bond trembled. It was still there, still holding. I pressed my forehead into the mattress and sobbed, quiet, broken sounds torn from somewhere deep inside me.
"I'm not letting go," I whispered into the dark.
Not to the Abyss.
To him.
And for the first time since the ordeal began, I wasn't just afraid of losing him. I was afraid of what I would have to become tokeephim. But even that fear wasn't enough to make me stop.
"Stay," I whispered again, in a raw and unsteady voice.
And somewhere—far, far away—I felt the faintest answering warmth.
Just enough.
For now.
Morning came without mercy.The ship's lights shifted from night-cycle dim to a sterile approximation of dawn, and with it came the certainty I'd been trying to avoid since I woke gasping in the dark. I couldn't wait any longer.
I found Xandros and Ashley on the bridge, already armored, already awake in the way commanders always were, half a step ahead of everyone else, posture rigid with responsibility.
"I want to see him." It wasn't a request or a plea.
Xandros stopped whatever he was doing. Slowly, he turned to face me, his expression hardened the moment he saw my eyes. "No," he stated flatly.
Ashley stood a few steps behind him, silently watching.
"I'm not asking," I informed him, surprised by how even and steady my tone was, even though my hands were clenched so tightly my nails bit into my palms. "I need to see him. Now."
Xandros crossed his arms. "You're emotionally compromised."
I laughed, sharp and humorless. "Of course I am."
"That's a dangerous condition to be in near an Arkhevari who nearly killed you."
"He didn't," I stood my ground.
"That's not the point."
"It is to me."
