“We can’t, not if they’re determined, but we can find Cien and get you off Valovia. They’ll have to find something else to fight about.”

I pivoted the conversation without warning. “What is a life debt and why was your team so shocked?”

Torran steadily met my gaze. “It is a very old custom. When vosdodite isn’t enough or when honor demands more, a life debt is offered. If accepted, the two individuals are bound.”

“How did I accept without knowing?”

“You stopped the bleeding.”

I spread my hands in a gesture of helplessness. “So I was supposed to just let you bleed to death without doing anything about it?” I frowned. “This system seems rigged.”

Torran smiled gently. “The bleeding would’ve stopped on its own, eventually. Deaths are rare, unless the cut is careless.”

Realization dawned. “You tricked me. How do I release you?”

“You don’t. Life debts are freely offered and withdrawn only once the debt is paid. It is up to the debtor to determine when that is.”

I relaxed. “Okay, so you can just tell me everything I need to know and then withdraw the offer.”

“I could,” Torran agreed, something odd in his tone.

“Don’t tell me you intended to do more than that? What else does a life debt entail?”

“The reason that a life debt binds two people so tightly that they are seen as one in Valovian law is because I became your shield the moment you accepted.” He put his left wrist over his heart and met my eyes, his expression searing in its intensity. “I will put your life above my own until the debt is paid. I will protect you from dangers seen and unseen, from every quarter, until I prevail or my body fails. Your happiness and safety are my singular goals.”

I swallowed the wave of emotion that rose at his words. My heart, being the soft thing that it was, attempted to leap out of my chest and straight into his arms. It didn’t care about betrayal or lies or impossibility. It knew what it wanted—and it wanted Torran.

“How long do you think it’ll take you to feel like you’ve paid the debt?” I asked.

“Once I’ve regained your trust and returned you safely to human-occupied space, I will reevaluate,” Torran said with every indication that he was serious.

“That’s a lot to do this afternoon if you still think I should leave tonight.”

“I will travel with you.”

My mouth popped open. “But what about your nephew?”

“My team will search in my absence. Putting your life above mine wasn’t just words, Tavi. A life debt supersedes all other ties.”