“I’m so sorry, Valerie.” I felt the tears as they stung my eyes and fell down my face. “Please forgive me. Please come back to me.”
She stirred ever so slightly under my touch. A surge ran through the bond before disappearing just as quickly as it appeared.
“Valerie?”
Another surge.
She was in there somewhere, trying to get out.
I moved off the bed, crouching down onto my knees to meet her stare. That’s when I felt it. A new fear had developed inside her shell. The bond began to tingle with an unfamiliar sensation. This was strong and wild. It was foreign and overwhelming. I paused, trying to figure out what was happening. I tried to infiltrate her mind, to see what had consumed her thoughts, but failed.
“Valerie, I need you to come back now. Do you hear me? Please come back.”
A
