60 Us vs. Them

~ TARKYN ~

Confusion twisted his chest and made breathing difficult as he looked around at his friends, all of whom stared back like they were stunned.

It was Gar that answered him.

"Tarkyn, that's not the Anima bond. Not… not if you can sense what she's actually feeling. I mean, more than a vague impression. If you can feel it when her body hurts or her pulse is up… that doesn't come from the Anima bond."

Tarkyn's eyes went wide, then he looked down at her. Harth stared right back, shaking her head.

He looked back at his friends. "But… I described it to you last night. You said—"

"And we were honest," Aaryn said quickly. "What you described last night sounded every inch what I had with Elreth before we completed the bond. But this?"

There was a silent, hanging moment when no one spoke.

Then Elreth blew out a breath. "Well, I guess we got our answer about which bond was completed. I can't believe—"