The moment her words settled between us, something in the air shifted.
Not the chaos around us. Not the distant echoes of war still bleeding into the edges of the forest.
Something quieter.
Something deeper.
Choice.
Nyra didn’t move immediately after that.
Her hand remained pressed against my chest, her other still gripping mine, her touch steady in a way that felt intentional now—not instinct, not panic.
Control.
Real control.
I could feel it in the bond.
Not just her presence.
Her awareness.
Like she wasn’t just reaching for me anymore—
She was holding me in place.
“I’m going to start now,” she said quietly.
My brows pulled together slightly. “Now?”
Her gaze didn’t waver. “I don’t have the luxury of waiting.”
I exhaled slowly, my head falling back slightly against the st
