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“Yes?”

She hesitated, then looked up at him, her gaze steady despite the uncertainty swirling inside her. “Do you think this bond is trying to tell us something?”

His expression softened, and he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. “Maybe,” he said quietly. “Or maybe it is just showing us what was already there. Maybe the bracelets magnified what was between us. What is between us.”

The warmth in his voice settled something deep inside her, and she found herself smiling despite the weight of their conversation. “Whatever it is,” she said, her voice barely audible, “I’m glad it brought us here.”

Zar’Ryn smiled faintly, his thumb brushing along her cheek. “So am I.”

As he lay back down, pulling her against him once more, Elara closed her eyes and let the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lull her toward sleep. The future was uncertain, the path ahead still shrouded in shadow, but for now, she allowed herself to believe they would find theirway.

Chapter 13

THE DEVICEemitted a faint throb, its intricate gears and softly pulsing lights casting a cool, sterile glow across Tor’Vek’s workbench. He leaned closer, his calm, deliberate movements a stark contrast to the charged silence of the room. Tools clicked softly against the device’s metallic casing as he adjusted the calibration, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“You believe this device will subdue the effects of the bond?” Zar’Ryn’s voice was low, measured, but the weight of the question lingered in the room like a shadow. “All of them?”

Tor’Vek did not look up. “That is its purpose. It will regulate the heightened emotional and physical responses caused by the bracelets’ amplification, bringing the connection under manageable control.” He adjusted a setting with a soft click. “In theory, it will not sever the bond but temper its intensity.”

In theory. The words grated against Zar’Ryn’s already strained patience. “And what of the bond itself? Will this—regulation—alter its core connection?”

At this, Tor’Vek paused, his gaze lifting to meet Zar’Ryn’s. His calm, clinical demeanor never wavered. “The bond’s essence should remain intact. The device targets the amplification, not the base mechanism of the connection. It will allow you to function without distraction.”

Zar’Ryn’s gaze narrowed. “Your certainty is not comforting. This is a prototype. You cannot be sure.”

“I can be sure of my work,” Tor’Vek replied, his tone annoyingly composed. “The effects, however, depend as much on the bond itself as on the individuals bound by it.” He returned his attention to the device, his movements quick and exact.

Elara shifted beside him, and Zar’Ryn’s attention flicked to her. She sat perched on the edge of a stool, her hands gripping the bench so tightly her knuckles had gone pale. Her hazel eyes lingered on the bracelets, her expression a strange mixture of hope and wariness. It unsettled him—her quiet vulnerability, the trust she seemed to place in Tor’Vek. In him. The bond stirred faintly between them, awhisper of her tension echoing in his own chest.

“I think it’s worth trying,” Elara said, her voice calm but tinged with exhaustion. She turned her gaze toward Zar’Ryn, and for a moment, the bond flared, her silent plea pressing against his resolve. “Even if it’s not perfect, it might give us a chance to breathe.”

Zar’Ryn hesitated. The temptation to feel even a moment of reprieve was undeniable, but he knew better than to trust fleeting promises. “If this fails, it may cause more harm than good,” he said, his tone colder than he intended. “We cannot afford that risk.”

“Nor can you afford to let this continue,” Tor’Vek interjected, his voice level but firm. “The bond’s uncheckedamplification is dangerous. This device offers control, or at least the semblance of it. If you do not try, you will never know.”

Zar’Ryn clenched his jaw, the words biting into his doubt. His gaze returned to Elara. She nodded once, the determination in her expression cutting through the unease pooling in his chest. The bond throbbed again, asoft pulse of her hope mingling with his lingering hesitation.

“Very well,” he said at last, his voice heavy with resignation. He stepped forward, his imposing frame towering over Tor’Vek’s form. “Activate it.”

Tor’Vek’s expression betrayed neither satisfaction nor doubt as he made the final adjustments. The device emitted a low whisper of sound, its soft light reflecting off the glowing bracelets. Zar’Ryn felt the faintest vibration ripple through the air, and then the bond’s ever-present pressure began to ease. The sharp edges of emotion dulled, the constant awareness of Elara’s thoughts and feelings dimming to something quieter, more distant.

Elara let out a soft gasp, her shoulders sagging as relief visibly washed over her. Zar’Ryn felt it too, the shift in the bond, an unexpected reprieve. And yet, the persistent heat—the unspoken tension that had plagued him since their connection—remained, simmering beneath the surface like an ember refusing to extinguish.

“This is acceptable,” Zar’Ryn said, though his voice betrayed no gratitude. He fixed Tor’Vek with a calculating stare. “But this is only the first step. If this device falters—”

“It will not,” Tor’Vek interrupted, his calm assurance grating on Zar’Ryn’s nerves. “The device functions as intended. Any residual sensations are… yours to manage.”

Residual sensations. Zar’Ryn’s lips compressed into a thin line. He turned away, unwilling to dwell on what that might mean. In this moment, the device worked. That was enough.

For now.

Zar’Ryn paced the perimeter of the lab, the faint hum of the device still thrumming softly in the air. The relief it offered was undeniable, the incessant pull of the bond now muted, its edges dulled. Yet, as he moved, he could feel it—an unyielding heat simmering beneath his skin, an ache that refused to fade. His amethyst gaze flicked to Elara. She stood across the room, her arms folded, her eyes locked on the bracelets as though waiting for them to spark to life and undo everything.

Tor’Vek was bent over his workstation, calmly monitoring the device’s output on a flickering console. The measured clicks of his tools grated against Zar’Ryn’s already frayed patience. The stillness of the lab felt oppressive, asilence heavy with unspoken questions.

“This is not enough,” Zar’Ryn said abruptly, his voice cutting through the quiet like a blade. He stopped pacing, his sharp gaze locking onto Tor’Vek. “You claim the device functions, yet the bond remains an intrusion.”

Tor’Vek straightened slowly, his hands falling to his sides. “The device does not sever the bond. It suppresses the amplification caused by the bracelets. That is what it was designed to do.”

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