The moment the door clicked shut behind the both of them, the air had changed. It felt more charged with tension and longing.
Valden looked like he was holding his breath and hadn't moved yet. And then he finally broke the silence.
"You scared the hell out of me in the tunnels." He spoke softly. "You shouldn't have used your powers still. You knew you couldn't have handled that."
"I thought the Varcolac got to you."
He sighed. "Don't ever put yourself in harm's way again like that even if I'm dying."
"You don't get to say all of that. You don't get to act like you care." I looked down at my hands. "You've been keeping secrets…too many to count. Too many that everything is telling me not to trust you. Why should I trust you, Valden?"
"I'm here," he said, voice hoarse. "I'm here now. There won't be any more secrets between us. I can't lose you again, nothing's worth that."
