Eris was half-asleep, but the sheer, naked desperation in his voice cut through the fog of her dreams.
Her stomach dropped, a cold pit of understanding opening up within her. She heard the voice of a man pleading with everything he had, a man who had finally looked into the abyss and realized she was the only thing keeping him from falling.
She wondered, with a sudden, sharp clarity, if he had finally understood what she had known since the first time her skin cracked: that her time in this world was a miracle with an expiration date.
She felt a profound sadness swell in her chest, a weight so heavy it made it hard to breathe.
She wanted to promise him forever, but the words died on her tongue. She couldn't promise a future that was already being consumed by the flames of her father's legacy.
