Chapter 132

• I lay curled at the very edge of the bed, so close to the side that one wrong breath might tip me onto the floor. It’s not for comfort—it’s strategy. From here, I could be on my feet in a second, ready to bolt if the need arises. Ruth lies behind me, spooning me with the kind of tenderness that only deep friendship could excuse. Her hand strokes slow, reassuring patterns along my side, her breath warm against the nape of my neck.
• “He’s okay,” she whispers for what must be the hundredth time. “He’ll come back to you. He always does.”
• But it’s been hours. Hours since Lucas shut off our connection—cut me out with a precision so sharp I still feel the sting of it. I’ve tried again and again to reach him, calling through the bond, begging for some sign that he’s still there. But the silence is relentless. Cold. Final.