Accepting the Bond

Silence stretches across the room as I keep my gaze locked on the dark liquid in my mug, treating the coffee and the unusually fluffy scrambled eggs on my plate like the most fascinating sight on earth.

“I had that meal brought up so you would eat it, Lyra. Not so you could sit there studying the tray. Let it sit much longer, and it’ll go cold before you even take a bite.”

My eyes flick upward,