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“Of course. That’s good. I just think now isn’t the time to burden her with—”

“Voski… she’s my squad sister. And my friend. I want to help.”

“She’s healing and—”

“Voski.”

I went still. Bren took a deep breath, then reached to put a hand on my forearm. “Do you remember that day I told you all about how I wanted to die, but Akhane saved me?”

I nodded tightly.

“You let all the others go ahead so they wouldn’t hear, then you talked to me. Do you remember what you said?”

I swallowed hard. “I told you that I understood how you felt, because I’d been there. And that your dragon didn’t choose you out of pity.”

She nodded. “I needed to hear that. I needed to know that someone else had been through that, and come out the other side. You were so capable, and so strong. Knowing you understood how that felt… it meant a lot to me. I don’t know if I ever told you that—but I thought about that a lot. I was so scared back then. So unsure of myself. And you helped. Thank you.”

I shrugged, but my stomach clenched. “You’re welcome. Of course.”

She nodded. “Now… let me help Grace. Please.”

I blinked, about to argue again, when she locked eyes with me, and I understood.

Oh. Shit.

I took a deep breath. “You and Donavyn—?”

“No.”

And then I knew. That fucking bastard, Ruin. I saw Bren brace and bristle, and I recognized the way I so often felt—like people just needed to back the fuck off and stop judging. But she knew I didn’t judge… didn’t she?

“I’m really sorry, Bren. I didn’t know.”

She nodded once. “You didn’t need to. But… if you ever want to talk about it, I’ll talk about it with you. Return the favor.”

Fuck no. “Thank you, but—”

“I didn’t come here for you, Voski. I came to talk to Grace. Because whether you need it or not, she does. So, please… let me go in?”

I should have said, of course. I should have welcomed my sister, coming in compassion, coming with experience, coming with a desire to help. But something in me wanted to push her away. And that was the moment I realized I was wrong.

Really wrong.

Broken.

So broken, that some part of me wanted Grace to stay broken with me.

And that wasn’t fucking fair. Shit. Shit.

“Right… sure,” I said hoarsely, then stepped out of the way of the door. But it was like tearing off a strip of skin. Everything in me wanted to protest. Wanted to call her back. Wanted to tell her to fuck right off and don’t make Grace talk about that…

But Terra’s words came back to me. She needs to not feel alone in it. Visions of all those hours, holding my mate while she wept swam to mind.

She needs this.

So, I swallowed back every protest, thanked my sister for caring, and let her go in to see Grace alone.

But that left me, staring at a closed door, standing by myself in an echoing hallway.