By the time we reached the Institute, I was ready to drop dead from the sheer exhaustion of it all. The act of bonding itself took a lot out of me. Portaling had left me in a state of vertigo. Griffin didn’t look so hot either, leaning against Nyx as we walked from the portal on the outskirts of the Institute. Passing the greenhouses, my eyes landed on the spot where Joseph and I had stood only a year go. Him handing me his sweater, telling me to go back to my dorms. Even back then he was trying to keep me safe. So many times he had warned me to stay away from him, so many times he had told me he was involved in dark activities. He had warned me in his own way that it was better for me to not get involved with him. It almost seemed like another lifetime ago.
My heart refused to belie
