Page 55 of Thexan

I glanced at him, surprised by the answer.

He did not look away from the rooftops below, but something in his expression had shifted. Not softness exactly. Something more controlled than that. More careful.

“They are your people,” he said. “Their fear is reasonable.”

That made my throat tighten in a way I didn’t expect.

I slowed slightly, needing a second to think through what came next.

“You’re not exactly someone I can hide,” I said.

“No,” he said, and this time the answer carried more weight. “Nor should you attempt it. Concealment would make me appear more dangerous when I am discovered.”

“When,” I repeated.

His gaze came to mine. “Not if.”

“That’s one way to comfort a woman.”

“I am not attempting comfort. I am attempting accuracy.”

Despite everything, I almost smiled.

“And I’m not going to pretend you’re not here,” I said.

His attention remained fixed on me then, steady and unreadable except for the faint shift I felt through the bond.

“That will cost you,” he said.

I stopped walking.

He stopped with me.

For a moment, the settlement sounds below us seemed very far away.

“What do you mean?”

“If you stand beside me openly, their fear of me will extend to you. Some will question your judgment. Some will believe the bond has compromised you. Others may decide I have influenced your choices in ways you cannot recognize.”

I swallowed, because I had already known that, but hearing him say it made the shape of it harder to ignore.

“And you think I should hide you because of that?”

“No.” His answer came immediately, sharper than before. “I think you should understand the consequence before you bear it.”

The words settled between us.

There it was again—not command, not withdrawal, not the cold practicality I might have expected from him.

Concern.

“You’re worried about what this does to me,” I said.

“Yes.”

He did not soften the word. He did not look away from it.

“I do not fear their questions for myself,” he said. “I fear that my presence will make them look at you as though you have become less trustworthy. That is unacceptable.”