“You may, yes, but you’ll face media as soon as you leave here. Are you ready for that?”

The idea of facing cameras or talking to anyone about what happened was so far beyond anything that I could even begin to think about.

“I thought as much.” He crossed his arms. “Your friends are anxious to hear from you, but they can wait until you’re ready or they’re cleared to come here.”

I wanted to ask how long that would be, but it didn’t really matter. I wasn’t leaving here. Not for a while. I glanced at the door.

“I know it seemed like your father left this room easily, but he’s barely left your side.”

I wasn’t sure what to think about my father. I figured that Lorne must be close with him if he’d lived under my father’s roof for the last seven years, but I wasn’t even sure what to say to him or where to start. So I pushed that subject away, too.

Even if talking to Lorne had helped, there was someone else I needed. “Where’s Roan?” He’d better not be under house arrest, too. For him, I might brave the media.

“Training on the grounds here, but on his way. I sent someone to fetch him when you woke up crying.”

“That’s why you got up?”

Lorne nodded.

“How did you know?” Lorne saw too much, and I didn’t understand how.

“Roan said you told him almost immediately who and what you were.”

“I… Yeah. I did.” I wasn’t sure how that related to my question.

“You’re Aunare. That click as you call it, that’s an Aunare thing. I told you before that each person has a frequency at which they resonate, although frequency isn’t a good translation and really doesn’t do it justice. It’s too simplified, but we’ll call it that for now. You and Roan resonate on what I’ll call harmonizing frequencies. He balances you.”

I nodded. That tracked. “Yes. He does.”

“I want to be jealous, but then we have a different kind of connection, and you already told me you don’t have feelings for him, and he’s told me the same is true for him.”

It never failed. Everyone always questioned it, but Roan and I were on the same page. “No. That’s not something either of us has ever wanted. He’s like a best friend and brother in one. He’s more than family.”

“I know. It’s like Declan and me. We were eight when we met and were instantly family. I trusted him implicitly, even though I had no reason to befriend a Murtagh.” He frowned for a second. “Or I guess that’s how we were.”

“Please, don’t stay mad at him for—”