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I looked at her wrist. “I did not want to take it.”

“I know. You turned your head away even though the rest of you could barely move. That was possibly the most frustrating part.”

“You said you did not want my life to depend on your blood. Taking it immediately after our argument seemed inappropriate.”

“You were turning to stone. I think that counts as an exception.”

Robyn lowered her hand from her wrist. The bite had already begun to close, although two red punctures remained. She looked tired and cold, and I hated knowing that I had caused both.

“I meant what I said before you left,” she continued. “I don’t want you sitting in my flat, wondering whether you’ll still be able to move by the time I finish a shift. I don’t want you afraid to fly or walk to the shops or do anything without me. That isn’t a life, and it isn’t what I want for you.”

“I know. But wanting me to be independent is not the same as wanting me.”

“That’s because I was trying to explain one problem at a time. You were standing there looking as if I’d told you to get out of my life, and instead of listening to the rest, you flew off.”

“You said you wanted me able to live without you. There was little room for misinterpretation.”

“There was plenty of room. You found all of it.”

Despite her anger, her mouth twitched. She looked down at my hand before taking it.

“I don’t want you to need me,” she said. “I want you to be able to choose me. There’s a difference.”

“I have already chosen you.”

“The bond chose me. Your instincts recognised me before we’d even spoken. Pam’s test brought me here, my touch woke you, and then my blood made the bond even stronger. Everyone else seemed completely certain about what I was supposed to be to you while I was still trying to catch up.”

“I thought calling you my potential mate would give you the time you needed.”

“It helped, but you still looked at me as if the answer was obvious. Maybe it was to you. It wasn’t to me.”

I considered what she had said. From the moment I woke, the bond had told me who she was. I had questioned whether I wanted a mate, but never whether Robyn was the one meant for me. She had been given no such certainty.

“Then I should not have asked whether you would still want me if the petrification was cured,” I said. “You were trying to tell me that you wanted me free, and I made it sound as if that freedom would take you away from me.”

“You were hurt. I understand why you asked.”

“It was still unfair.”

“A little.”

I squeezed her hand. “If your touch had done nothing at the castle, I would still have noticed you. I would have listened to your voice and wished I could answer. If your blood were no different from anyone else’s, I would still want to taste you. And if the Authority finds a way to cure the petrification tomorrow, I will still want to live with you, meet your family and learn why you keep rodents in your home.”

“They’re hamsters. I’m not letting you meet them until you stop calling them rodents.”

“They are rodents.”

“Technically, yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep saying it.”

“I will call them Frodo and Sam if that pleases you.”

She smiled, clearly pleased that I’d remembered their names. “It’s a start.”

She came closer until the front of her body rested against mine. Her heart was beating quickly, but she no longer seemed frightened.

“I thought I needed more time,” she said. “Maybe I did. But I also think I was resisting because everyone else had already made the decision for me. I wanted the chance to say yes without wondering whether I was only doing it because you’d turn to stone if I said no.”

“You do not have to give me an answer today. I will find another way to survive, no matter how long it takes.”