I'm still lying on my bed when the knock comes again, softer this time. My body feels like it's made of lead, but my mind won't shut up. The pull under my skin hasn't stopped since the ceremony. If anything, it's gotten worse.
"Jason."
Avalon's voice cuts through the door, and I squeeze my eyes shut. Of course it's him. I don't move, don't breathe. Maybe he'll just go away.
"Jason, I know you're in there."
I drag myself up from the bed, every muscle protesting. My hand hovers over the door handle for a long moment before I finally open it.
Avalon doesn't push past me like I expect. He just stands there in the doorway, looking me over with those sharp eyes of his. The silence stretches between us, heavy and restless. I can feel the bond humming in the space between our bodies, and it makes my skin crawl.
"What do you want?" I ask, my voice rougher than I mean it to be.
"What are you doing to yourself?" he asks back, stepping closer to the threshold. "Why do you keep pretending? Why do
