~ALARIC'S POV
I was in the middle of hearing a report when the bond between Khaos and me strained without warning.
It was not sudden pain. It was the echo of pain that had already passed, faint but impossible to mistake once it reached me.
The noble speaking beside me faltered when the silver mist gathering around my feet began to thicken.
"High Lord?" he asked, uncertainty creeping into his voice.
I did not respond.
I remained where I was, allowing the sensation to settle long enough for understanding to follow.
The bond I shared with Dove had long since been muted by the concealment I placed upon her. Whatever she felt, I could no longer reach. Whatever danger found her would do so without warning.
This was not that silence.
This connection still answered me.
Khaos.
Even after healing, what had been done to her had crossed the distance between us.
