Chapter 77

Raeve wakes to find Kaan still beside her after their night together. As a storm rages outside, she struggles with her impulse to leave against her growing feelings for him. Kaan insists they must have a serious conversation about her past and mentions there are others affected by her return, but Raeve attempts to deflect by seducing him instead.

Raeve awakens in the domed room to find Kaan sleeping beside her, the memory of their kiss and intimate night together flooding back. She notices new scars covering his body that weren't present in her fragmented memories from before their separation, triggering fear of loss. Overwhelmed by conflicting emotions—love and the pain of potential abandonment—she decides she must leave immediately. When Kaan wakes and pulls her close, she tells him she has to go, but he refuses to let her leave without discussing something serious. He reveals there are others affected by her return, particularly one person whose truth she needs to know. Raeve is struck by the intensity in his gaze, recognizing the same hardness she saw when he arrived at the crater. Realizing she has lost her leverage (the iron cuff and her Skripi wish) and feeling the weight of his determination, she attempts to evade the conversation by seducing him instead of facing whatever painful truth he wants to share.