Evaline:
There was another long pause before he answered. "Because someone I care about needs it. And I would burn myself down before I let them suffer."
That was all he gave me. But it was enough.
His truth was just as incomplete and yet just as honest as mine. And somehow, that made all the difference.
We didn't need to spell out our secrets. We just needed someone to understand that we had them.
And for the first time since arriving at the Academy, I felt safe enough to relax.
"Thanks for talking to me," I murmured as I shifted on the bed to slide back beneath my blanket.
Rowan pushed himself up and stretched before moving to his own bed. "You ever need to talk again, you know where to find me."
"Hopefully, I won't be waking you up at two in the morning again for that," I joked weakly, trying to add some humor before sleep.
He chuckled. The sound was low and surprisingly warm. "Don't worry. I have had worse."
