If anyone can hold something broken together without forcing it into shape, it’s her.
“You all are feeling guilty, and I understand why. But this isn’t your fault. None of you could’ve controlled something like this,” he adds after a moment.
A deep sigh slips past my lips.
Yeah. I know that.
Doesn’t change a damn thing.
“Yeah,” I mutter. “I know. Doesn’t make it easier, though.”
“No, it doesn’t, but it’ll get easier. I also…” He trails off, gaze shifting away as he shakes his head. “I don’t want to cross another line with Thayla.”
My brows pull together as I turn toward him fully. “What do you mean?”
“She’s struggling right now.”
“Well, of course she is,” I snap before I can stop myself. “Look at everything she’s dealt with. Not even just last night. Literally since the moment she got here.”
He holds his palms out at my harsh tone.
“I’m not saying it like it’s a bad thing or like you don’t see it yourself. I’m saying, since the first moment I saw her in Hellveilious until now, she’s done a remarkable job working through her own trauma and opening herself up. You all have helped her tremendously with that. It’s been a slow process that’s given her time to grow on her own.”
I force myself to breathe through the ridiculous spike of anger. Lack of sleep, hunger, worry, it’s all getting to me and I’m acting like an ass for no reason.
“Last night stole that process from her.”
Something cold settles in my gut.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“All of those things she’s been holding beneath the surface…they were already rising. Slowly. Manageably. Last night forced them up all at once. And now she’s trying to push them back down. It isn’t going to go back down.”
I don’t like the sound of that.
Not even a little.
I study his face—really study it—and the concern there isn’t surface level. It’s deeper than that.
Instinctive.
His power sees something we can’t.
That makes my soul shiver in my chest.
She has come a very long way, especially with communicating with us and telling us how something makes her feel.
The last thing I want is for her to hide whatever she’s feeling right now.
“After this settles down and we get some alone time, I’ll talk to her.”
“Good,” he says, relief threading through his words despite him trying to hide that. “And I’m…here, if she ever feels comfortable enough.”
I snort before I can stop myself.
“I’m glad you don’t take her previous rejections personally.”
A smirk tugs at his mouth as he shrugs.
