across the throne room sat xaden, head in his hands. he hadn’t immediately realized you came in, he thought he warded the room well, but apparently you’d broken through, likely because of the bond.

he looked up, seeing you walk over to him. he clenched his jaw, trying to regain his composure. it was obvious to you that he’d been hurting the past few days, you just didn’t know why. you stopped in front of him, using a hand to gently tilt his chin up, your eyes prompting him to speak.

his gaze faltered and he shook his head, hand coming up to grab yours and pulling it to his chest, holding it there as if your touch alone was healing the ache in his heart.

you brought your free hand up to the back of his head, gently guiding his head to your chest, letting him hold onto you. it was clear he need this right now, whether you knew why or not. “nobody else can pull me out.” he said against you, your heart breaking when you realized he was crying.