The tears fell and Erik's cool palm came to my cheek, wiping them away. My vision was restored, and I found him before me, leaning in so close I couldn't draw in a single scrap of oxygen. His cypress scent filled my lungs, lulling me into a sense of calm, and the walls I’d built against him began to slip. “Is that true?” he rasped, eyes unblinking, seeking the answer in mine. “Yes,” I choked, another tear hitting my lap. “Fabian runs the Realms,” he revealed with a snarl. “They're his responsibility.”
