Her hand went to his face again, stroking the sharp-soft beard. Already, it didn’t startle him the way it had the first time she’d done it. He looked almost as though he’d been expecting her to do it. The textures of his face filled her hand again, already familiar. Beard over jawbone, creases in warm skin.

Just that, nothing more. No emotions that didn’t belong to her rolled through her like water filling her lungs. No memories she’d never experienced splattered across her senses like acid eating skin.

How was this possible? How was this happening? She glanced up at the sky. No winged presence glided through it.

The dark way in which her heart twisted amid these beautiful feelings made it hard to breathe.

“All those things you just told me. Did you really not want to tell me?” she asked.

“Of course I didn’t,” he said carefully, aware it wasn’t a simple question. “I’ve never told anyone, because I’ve never wanted to. This is the second time in my life I’m meeting you. Why would I want to tell you?”

Sick panic, that’s what that feeling was. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself. She wanted to fold over. “I . . . I didn’t mean to . . .”

His face changed. How had she thought his face blank? It moved constantly, picking up every nuance of feeling that went through her. Reaching out, he wiped her cheeks, and she realized that she was crying. “I don’t know why you’re crying. Please, tell me what’s wrong. I didn’t mean to hurt you with that story. It was a long time ago. Those memories don’t hurt anymore.”

The ball of discomfort wobbled inside her. “I’m sorry I made you say something you didn’t want to. I’m sorry I made you dig that up.”

“You didn’t make me say it. I mean you did, but not because . . .”

The tears were streaming now. She’d been so relieved, so sure that her condition didn’t happen around him. But it only manifested differently. Instead of the visions, she just forced him to tell her things. That felt worse, even more intrusive.

“Hey . . . You didn’t make me say it. It’s just that something about you made me feel safe enough to share it. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed to.” He looked distraught in a way that she couldn’t have imagined him looking five minutes ago. All his weathered and wild strength brought to its knees.

This was what she did to everyone, stripped them bare, all the way to the heart of their feelings, without their wanting it.

“I thought you were different,” she said.