The intense pressure in my chest made it difficult for me to breathe. There was anxiety and pain swelling within me that I couldn’t explain. My head swam, my heart ached, and I wasn’t entirely certain if this pain coursing through me was entirely my own. The bond I had with

Nikolai made it damn near impossible sometimes to sort through.

I wanted to claim it. I wanted to say that I was feeling this uncertainty due to the fate bond we shared and that what I was feeling could be chalked up to the connection. It would’ve made life so much easier to cope with. But there was a...