Harper
Vane didn't speak for the rest of the drive.
The transport ground east toward Camp 07 and the silence sat between us with weight. Through the bond I felt something pacing behind a steel door, looking for a way out it wasn't going to find.
He killed the engine the moment we cleared the gate.
"Inside."
Not agreement. Postponement.
The suite door sealed behind us. He hung his jacket on the hook with deliberate care, stood at the counter for a long beat, looked at his own hands. Then he looked up.
"Aton ran the scan when we got back from Sub-level."
I waited.
"Every time you link with him, the thread goes deeper." His eyes hadn't moved from mine. "It doesn't come back out. It settles. And one day you won't know which feeling on the line is his and which one started as yours."
