Ayame straightened her spine. The sharp amusement faded from her delicate face. Her eyes settled into a calmer shape, steady.
"Of course, having said all that... At the end of the day, you are your own person. You are not a slave." She paused and chuckled dryly. "Well, you are, but that is beside the point I'm trying to make."
She tipped her chin toward Quinlan. "He is not a rapist. If you want to reject what happened here, call it an accident born from your condition, you can. The only question is… Do you want to do that?"
Kaelira's gaze stayed locked on Quinlan.
His expression had not shifted much since earlier.
He was calm and focused, a man waiting for an answer without pressing for one.
Yet when she held his eyes longer, something beneath that stillness showed its shape. A steady pull. Intent held quiet. A promise that needed no words.
She understood exactly what it meant.
