Riven found me on the roof.
I don't know how he knew I'd be there—maybe the bond, maybe he just knew me well enough by now to predict where I'd go when I needed to fall apart in private—but he appeared through the access door without a sound and sat beside me without asking permission.
We didn't talk for a while. Just sat there with our legs dangling over the edge while the moon hung fat and silver overhead and my brain kept replaying six different death scenes on loop.
"You can't save everyone." His voice was quiet when he spoke. "I know you want to. I know you think you should. But you can't."
"I know that." The words came out rough. "Knowing doesn't help."
"No." He shifted closer and his shoulder pressed against mine, warm and solid. "But maybe talking about it would."
"What's there to talk about?" I wrapped my arms around my knees. "I failed. People died. The demon's still out there planning round two."
