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"Release me, mortal."
The command cut through the dungeon like a heated blade and for one suspended heartbeat Sonya didn't move.
She stayed pressed against my chest with her arms wrapped around me and her face buried in my shirt, completely still in a way that felt strange but I couldn't quite identify why.
Then she pulled back so quickly she nearly stumbled, her hands flying up in a gesture of surrender as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking on the words. "I wasn't thinkingāI forgot about your boundaries, I justā" She pressed trembling fingers to her lips and shook her head. "I didn't mean to overstep."
The apology seemed genuine enough, and the mortification on her face looked real, but something about the moment still sat wrong in my mind even though I couldn't articulate what it was.
"It's fine," I said, my voice level despite the revulsion still crawling under my skin from her unwanted touch.
