Nicole could not stop thinking about it.
Even after being escorted back to the temporary chambers.
Even after the doors shut behind her once more.
The councilman's words echoed endlessly inside her mind.
What did he sacrifice?
The question hollowed something inside her chest.
Nicole stood near the fireplace, unmoving, while the flames crackled softly against the cold silence surrounding the room. Her thoughts spiraled dangerously the longer Jasper remained gone.
Bound.
The councilman had called them bound.
Not metaphorically.
Not emotionally.
Something deeper.
Something unnatural.
Nicole wrapped her arms around herself tightly.
"What did you do…" she whispered to the empty room.
Hours seemed to pass.
Or perhaps only minutes.
Time in Gorris no longer made sense.
By the time the doors finally opened again, Nicole had nearly convinced herself something terrible had happened.
Jasper entered first.
The moment she saw him, she rushed toward him immediately.
"Jasper—"
