He pulled me to him without another word. “God, I thought you left me. I had no idea you were in danger. I failed you, I’m sorry.”
His arms tightened around me and I felt safe in them despite the tension in his body. He was calm but there was fear in the way he held me.
Real fear.
I had never seen him like this before.
“You didn’t fail me,” I said quietly. “I just stepped outside.”
“You did not tell me,” he murmured against my hair. “I walked through every hallway looking for you. I kept thinking you were gone.”
Gone.
The word hit me harder than the cold.
I pulled back slightly and looked up at him. His eyes were dark and unsettled, like he was still trying to understand why he could not find me.
“I would never leave like that,” I said softly. “Why would you think that?”
His ja
