Page 90 of Marked By His Hunger

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For a heartbeat—I felt something that was not mine.

Confusion.

Loneliness.

A lifetime of hiding.

It came from her.

And then it was gone.

I staggered half a step.

She noticed.

“What was that?”

“You felt it too,” I breathed.

Her expression tightened.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Lie.

She had felt it.

The bleed.

The beginning of a thread forming.

The Norns were weaving.

And I was not prepared.

Not ready.

Not safe.

If I bonded?

If I failed?

My hunger would not spare her.

The DeathFace twitched beneath my skin at the thought.

No.

I would not fail.

I could not.

I stepped back deliberately.

“We return now.”

Her chin lifted.

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