have tried not to.”
“But feelings don’t always obey.”
“No.” He shook his head. “They don’t. But I don’t trust . . . my feelings. Especially because I healed her. The healing has created a . . . bond. A strong one. An unnatural one.”
“I see.” She was silent for a moment, as if examining his confession for holes.
“Do you have feelings for me?” she asked suddenly.
Damion’s eyes shot to hers, and he knew she saw the curse he swallowed.
“No,” he clipped.
The queen laughed, the sound light and silvery, like the woman herself.
“I admire you,” he amended. “I would die for you, gladly. I even . . . love you. But . . .” he struggled to explain something he didn’t understand himself.
“But you healed me too, Damion. Remember?”
He hadn’t considered that.
“Yet the bond is very different than
