Page 71 of Obsidian and Frost

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But he needed me to keep to it.

For his own safety.

And, let’s face it, with how I was, his sanity too.

I didn’t want to hurt him.

And while the idea of trying again with him, like we had inThe Fadedid appeal to me immensely, I couldn’t guarantee that it wouldn’t end the same way—with me freaking out and running from him.

I wouldn’t keep doing that to him.

He’d been such a sweetheart to me.

He deserved so much better.

I couldn’t shut it down entirely, though, and I clutched him back tightly.

As I did, I caught Sylas’ eye.

He gave me an understanding smile.

One that didn’t reach his gaze.

There was something else there swimming in those slate-gray pools instead.

Calculation. Determination.

He was planning something.

To fix this current state of things.

To fixme.

As if that was possible.

There was no fixing what I’d become.

Some damage just couldn’t be overcome.

All I could do was live within it the best I could, even though I could never be whole.

At least this was something.

I wasn’t regressing.

And I wasn’t just surviving either—I’d found a middle ground.

Still, I sank into Lazriel, breathing him in.

Just a few more moments, and then I’d head out.

13

~Velra~

Weaving & Shadow Architecture.

That was my first class of the year—my first class ever, actually.

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