The elevator doors slid open, carrying them down in silence. Ashwin remained a steady shadow at his side, but Victor's focus had already shifted, the threads of obligation falling away one by one until only a single vow held taut inside his chest.
By the time the car pulled up to the curb, the city's lights stretched wide across the glass, spilling neon and shadow across Victor's face.
The ride cut through the veins of the capital, but Victor barely registered the blur of steel and light beyond the windows. He could feel the bond pulsing faintly in the back of his mind, the steady rhythm of Elias's presence tugging at him like gravity.
Ashwin broke the silence once. "Will you require me inside, sir?"
Victor's gaze didn't shift from the dark glass. "No. I want only him."
