He barely had time to turn around before Carmilla hugged him so hard that the air left his lungs. Rick felt wetness on his shoulder as she pressed her face into his neck and wrapped her arms around him with all her strength.
"Three weeks," Carmilla said, her voice muffled but full of feeling. "Three weeks seemed like three years for me without you...!"
"I thought I'd lost you when I felt you dying through the bond, and the pain was so bad that I fell down in the middle of the training grounds."
Rick hugged her back just as tightly. "I'm fine now... you can clearly see that I'm here right now, meaning that I made it through."
"Almost." Natasha's voice came from behind Carmilla.
It was cold as always, but there was an edge to it that showed how she felt. Rick looked over Carmilla's shoulder and saw the ice mage standing there with her blue eyes slightly red.
"You feel different because of the bond."
