The elevator had barely begun its descent when Phei felt the change.
His fingers stiffened around Melissa's hand.
It was subtle at first, a distant loosening somewhere behind his thoughts, followed by the strange sensation of a presence he had known for so long suddenly sinking beyond wakefulness. Eira had warned him this would happen once her body finally stopped running on stubbornness and whatever scraps of power she had forced herself to keep after Anarctica, but knowing it was coming did very little to soften the moment he actually felt her fall.
Melissa noticed his hand immediately.
Her happiness had survived the entire ride from the villa, warm and almost dreamy, yet concern entered her face the instant she looked at him. "Phei? What happened?"
He turned toward her and forced the worry out of his expression before it could frighten her unnecessarily: "Sorry, can we make a small stop first? There's someone I need to check on."
