Loyalty burns both ways

A part of him wanted to frighten her. For her to understand that he wasn’t safe. He hadn’t been from the moment he had seen the smoke rising into the sky. He was adrift, and he was afraid who he might bring down with him when he inevitably drowned.

But Tamsyn wouldn’t let him go. Couldn’t. He let out a sigh, whistling past his teeth as she lifted her eyes from the floor. Tears glistened in the soft green of her eyes. She was breaking his heart. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t be who he needed to while she was here. When he was with her he wanted to do better. be better. But he couldn’t, not if he wanted to survive this. Her desperate love was going to kill him.

He stepped closer to her, waiting to see if she would lose her nerve and flee from him. She didn’t, she stood there. There was iron in her, in his Tam. he stepped closer, lowering his head until his forehead brushed against hers. He closed his eyes, and leaned his head gently against her, feeling the salty tears she shed in his coat.

He stayed like that for a moment, still, silent, unseeing. Then he pulled back slightly, and gently licked away her tears, his tongue brushing against the fur beneath her eyes. “I need to get you home, Tamsyn. I… I need to tell Resin what we’ve lost, and you need to be with those that will help you get better. I’ll bring you back, stay for a few hours, and then head home.” assuming of course that he didn’t decide to take Resin’s route, and lock himself in their dungeons. Tamsyn didn’t know yet about Briar. She didn’t know just how much he was losing it.

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