The pain did not belong to Mira, she knew that immediately. It struck through the bond like lightning through metal, sharp and burning. Mira staggered in the hallway outside the council chamber and grabbed the stone wall to steady herself.
Ryker stopped walking. He turned slowly, his eyes searching her face. “You feel it,” he said quietly.
Mira nodded, pressing a hand against her chest. “Yes.”
The pain faded after a moment, but something remained. It was not physical discomfort. It was emotion with fear not hers but Ryker’s.
The realization unsettled her more than the pain itself. “What happened?” Mira asked.
Ryker exhaled slowly. “The border scout’s wound,” he said. “The claws were coated in poison.”
Mira’s stomach tightened. “The warrior will live,” Ryker added, sensing her reactio
