Out of the Pan and into...

Everything seemed to fall into place for him in those few moments of silence. Realization took hold of him but it hurt much worse than the relief of her words. She didn't hate him, but he hated himself. He hated how strongly he felt for her even now completely sober. Rhyme had opened pandora's box and he had broken himself because of it. He vowed to withstand it though, and keep it a secret. Shaye and Abaven needed him, and he wasn't about to let them down.

She brought up Tana again, and delved deeper into the subject, she was easier to talk about than anything else that occupied his mind. Maybe she could help him see those worries more clearly. "No, maybe, I don't know." He had gotten no where in his quest to decide how he felt about Tana. He knew he didn't feel as strongly for her as he did Shaye, he ached knowing what couldn't be. However he still cared deeply for the freed slave girl, and he would love and adore their unplanned children. "They were a surprise. I'm.. Really worried about them." Some of his swirling emotions shone through, he felt strongly that Tana and their unborn pup's lives were in mortal danger because of their size difference. He might have never agreed to having them if they had attempted to plan.