Chapter 51. Promise

Tristan

I could feel her eyes penetrating me without looking at her. I knew what she was thinking even without her emotions seeping through the bond.

Shock. Confusion.

I kept my face completely neutral, grasping into her hands more firmly and offering a tight squeeze.

‘Trust me,’ I tried to convey through the simple gesture, hoping it seeped in through the bond. She didn't say a word or return the gesture, but she didn't pull away either. Her silent assent was clear.

A knot formed in my throat as I grazed my eyes over the headstone. For years on end, I'd constantly visited their graves throughout every anniversary, whether it was their birthdays, their death and on my birthdays. All four occasions were still months incoming.

This was the first time within the year that I'd had visited them and it felt like a far cry from the last time. I wasn't the man I was a year ago or even months ago. I was different now.

An amalga