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"Eirea." She gives me an amused look. "I notice everything."

"Right." I nod.

"I just didn't know where the pieces belonged." She tilts her head. "Now I do."

I frown. "I'm sorry." I whisper again. She reaches across the blanket and flicks my forehead. Ow. I blink. "Did you just hit me?"

"You apologized three times." She answers.

"You flicked me."

"You deserved it."

"What?"

"For thinking I'd stop being your friend." I stare at her. She shrugs. "It was a ridiculous idea."

"I hate how reasonable you are."

"I know." She reaches for her mug. Realizes the tea is cold. Makes a face. "This is disappointing."

I laugh through the remaining tears. "You've just learned about a possible Hollowborn return."

"And my tea is cold." She lifts her mug.

"Priorities."

"Exactly."

"I thought you'd yell."

"Why?"

"I don't know." I shrug.

"Maybe because you were scared." She studies me for a long moment. "Were you?"

The question surprises me. I think about it. About every night in the Archive. Every Blood Echo. Every lie. Every conversation with Rhyven. Every glance toward the wards. "Yes." The admission barely reaches above a whisper. "I've been terrified."

Nyra's expression changes. Not pity. Understanding. "Oh." She says softly. "You've been carrying this alone." The words settle heavily between us.

"I wasn't." I answer. "I had Rhyven. And Cassian. And Professor Neris. And now Caelen."

She smiles. "But they aren't me."

I feel something tighten painfully in my throat. "No. They aren't."

She reaches across the blanket again. This time she simply takes my hand. "No more carrying it alone." Three words. No promises. No dramatic speeches. Just three words. And somehow they weigh more than anything else said tonight.

I don't realize how exhausted I am until my shoulders finally relax. It feels strange. Like setting down a backpack I'd forgotten I was wearing. "I feel lighter." I admit quietly.

Nyra smiles. "That's usually what happens when you stop carrying impossible things by yourself."

I let out a shaky laugh. "I should've told you sooner." "Probably."

"You aren't going to make me feel guilty?"

"Oh, I absolutely will."