Chapter 126: What Mattered

Caitlin stepped away from the bed, suddenly close to tears. He was in a treacherous labyrinth; he walked a fine line between sanity and a world she did not want to try to comprehend. "I will protect you, Zen. You have my solemn word. I won't let you down. I'll see you through this until you're right again."

And then? Zendedari asked.

His black gaze slid lazily over her.

Do you intend to leave me, Caitlin? You save me, and then you think to desert me?

There was a kind of dark humor in his voice, a secret amusement that stirred something in her she hadn't known existed. Something that went beyond fear. Terror.

Her chin tilted a little belligerently. "What does that mean? Of course, I won't desert you. I'll stay with you and see you through this. We'll find your family."