Page 47 of The Quoram Effect

“You did,” I murmured.

“They won’t take my word. I’m not impartial enough. And for God’s sake, he isn’treal!”

I huffed, scowling down at my feet. “And the second option?”

Torz’s hesitation had me glancing up. He appeared nervous—I sensed it, too. My frown deepened as he swallowed back those nerves, darting his gaze out the window.

“I think you should take the second option.”

“Which is?”

“They’ve…they’ve generously offered you a clean slate…if you. Ifwe…rekindle our Damson bond. Accept it and agree to live on Quoram.”

Time froze. Ice flooded my veins and air ceased inside my lungs. “That’s not possible, Torz. Our bond was rejected.”

He sighed. “Believe me, Rems, it’s possible.”

What?The Damson God would’ve said something if that was an easy feat, surely.

No, wait.Had he suggested such a thing within his annoyingly cryptic comments?

I shook my head. Regardless of whether the Damson magic could or could not be reignited, I wouldn’t do that to Torz. This was my fault, not his. He had done everything in his power to keep everyone safe, including me, and I’d shattered that protection in a matter of delusional minutes.

“No. No, I’m not doing that.”

“Rems,” Torz groaned, raising his eyes to the ceiling. “Consider this rationally.”

“No. I can’t condemn you to that.”

“Condemn me?”

“Yes!” I raised my voice, adamantheneeded toconsider this rationally, not me. “You’ve built a life for yourself here. Thepeople respect your leadership. You have prospects, goals. And you…you’re meant for bigger, better things. You don’t want to leave all of that behind to live a simple life with me. This is my mistake. It has nothing to do with you.”

“How can you say that?” Anger flared in his cheeks. “Both of us saw that man, so we’re in this together. We’ve always been in this together—”

“You didn’t tell me to do what I did.”

“Rems—”

“I won’t force this on you. The Damson bond, it’s…it’s not something you want!”

“Isn’t it?”

We stared at each other, his words echoing between us like an enchanting song. A tangible silence fell upon the room, and my heart thundered inside my chest, petrified of what he meant.

“You’re the one who rejected the bond, Rems, not me.”

I didn’t realise I was holding my breath until my lungs began to burn. With his speckled brown eyes probing deep into mine, I saw an open vulnerability I’d never witnessed before.

“No, you…you rejected it, too.”

“I didn’t. You were so freaked out; I gave my opinion off the back of yours. I wasn’t going to push it. You were scared and confused and…perhaps a little irrational—”

“I was seventeen!” I snapped, remembering how daunting the discovery had been, how terrified I was to make a life-changing decision at such a young age with a broken heart.

“And I understood that. I understood you’d just lost your mum, and I could never replace her love.” Torz shook his head. “You were so convinced it wasn’t what we needed, that the magic was mistaken; I walked away, burying myself in work as a distraction. Though”—he chuckled—“fate had its way, and you ended up by my side as my lieutenant. I didn’t mind. If anything, it eased my suffering to have you near.”

“Suffering?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “What suffering? I’ve never seen…you have friends. You’ve had multiple lovers—”