Sylas straightened slowly, the shift in him immediate and absolute as though a door had slammed shut inside his chest.
Whatever hunger had been coiled around them moments ago receded, and was replaced by something sharper.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, guiding her back to her feet. Once she was steady, he looked her straight in the eye, " Venom, you don't want the real answer to that question," he said quietly.
Theo searched his face. The teasing edge was gone. So was the heat. What remained was far more unsettling.
"Whatever happened between you two, it's… personal,"
"There are bonds that form before memory," Sylas replied, his jaw tightening, "and Connections that sink into the bone before you're old enough to name them. When those bonds are broken… they don't disappear. They rot,"
She didn't say anything. She waited for more, holding onto the hope that he would say more.
