Varek:
I had no right to be frustrated or feel this... unsettled.
But there I was, standing across the room from her, trying to push away the tension that clung to the air between us like a dark fog. She was mine now—there was no question about that. She had no choice, no power in this matter.
I had laid my claim to her, and yet... my chest still felt tight.
It was ridiculous.
She's just another pawn, I told myself, my mind trying to regain the upper hand. But I couldn't ignore how my heart flinched when I saw her hesitate at the border of this realm, her hand trembling as she packed up the life she had left behind. She'd been strong when she needed to be, but I had seen the vulnerability lurking behind her eyes—the vulnerability that had pulled me in in the first place. That pull was
