"Yes," he breathed. "It's usually that way when you're close. That's what I'm saying, Sash. You're… you're the other 1/2 of me. The thought of one of them touching you…" he winced and shook his head.
Diane reached up to take his face in her hands. "Stop torturing yourself," she said flatly. "I'm here, with you, and you're right here with me. This is happening, Tryson . Finally. Neither of us is taking walks away."
He opened his eyes once more and took a deep breath. "No, of course not. You're right. We're not taking walks away. We're strolling collectively from now on. I'm protecting you tonight, Sash. I'm maintaining you for tonight and tomorrow, and then the subsequent day… the subsequent day we walk the ritual and prove to them, all of them, who we are to every other. And when that i
