I hadn't thought about that last night. I hadn't been in any condition to think about much beyond what was happening in front of me, and Kael had known that and protected the space accordingly.
The morning had arrived without warning and with considerably less grace.
"You couldn't have predicted how they'd react," Tala said.
"I should have considered—"
"No," she said, and her voice had gone firm in the way it did when she was done being gentle about something. "You were in pain. You made a choice that eased that pain. You did it clearly, with full understanding of what you were choosing, and you wrote it down in your own handwriting so there would be no confusion about whose decision it was. None of that is something you should have done differently."
"Then why does it feel like it is
