“What about us?” I ask quietly, somehow feeling both embarrassed and frightened. I sense his hand under my chin, tilting it up to meet his stare.

“Little Sparrow,” he muses with a gleam in his eyes. “You needn’t worry when it comes to us. I’ll take care of you. Whether it’s a malevolent mist that comes after you or a bad day where all you need is to laugh, I’ll be there. I’ll be whatever it is you need me to be.”

“But we won’t be able to touch Braizen, not ever. How will you manage? I’ve heard what women say about you, the stories about what kind of lover you are. I don’t want—I wouldn't take that away from you.”

“I think we’ve already discovered how that can be managed,” he smirks and flutters his long dark lashes.

“Maybe,” I concede. “But other forms of touch are just as important, and you’ll be robbed of them all by choosing me. Your fate will be a lonely and grim one.”

“My fate has already been chosen for me, Idalia. The day I laid eyes on you, it was sealed, and I was yours. Wholly and true. I don’t need to touch you to know that I love—” His hand drops to his side, and he lets out a shaky laugh.

“You also have to choose me,” he continues. “I’m not the only one who’ll sacrifice. You’ll never feel an intimate touch or be able to have children. We both must consider the price we’re willing to pay if this doesn’t work.”

My heart sinks. I’ve never given much thought to being a mother, but to have the option stripped away before I’ve had a chance to consider it hurts more than I could’ve imagined. I won’t have a lover I can kiss or hold hands with, and neither will he. I swallow hard.

“If it doesn’t work, we’ll focus on finding our friends. Once we know they’re safe, we’ll return to our homes. Separately,” I say.

“No.”

“Yes, Braizen. I need you to promise me this. You cannot live a life without touch.”

“I can and I will.”

“Then it’s I who can’t!” I look away, my eyes brimming with tears. A wall of shame slams into my chest. I am being selfish and cruel, but the truth remains. A life without being held by him, a life without feeling his lips against mine would be torture.

I hear him release a deep quiet breath. “If you need to be touched, Idalia, if that’s your requirement,” he says softly, “then no matter what happens in The Wood, I’ll oblige you.”

I shoot my gaze back to his, but he continues before I can ask what he means.