Ruthless Amnesia
"I don't love those."
"You didn't seem nervous during any of my other checkups," he said.
"This one's different," I said, which was true in every way that mattered and none I could explain.
The assistant approached with the scanner, a small handheld device that hummed faintly when activated, and gestured for Rhys to lie back against the table. "This measures the bonding resonance between the two of you," she explained, more to me than to him, since he'd already heard this once. "It's most accurate with physical contact maintained throughout. If you'll take his hand, my lord."