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Kahn flinched, embarrassed that she knew about his problem. Of course, that would be the first topic she wanted to communicate about. “You haven’t asked me about that, yet.”

“And I won’t until you’re comfortable sharing. If you want to talk though, I obviously want to listen.”

She was such a good person. Despite all she’d been through, she still had so much empathy and kindness. He didn’t deserve her. He would never give her up.

Kahn started dispassionately listing the symptoms every Light House Warrior dreaded. He wanted her to understand. “First, you begin to drift away from people. Anger comes quicker. Civilization slips away. You hear the forest calling. Eventually, there’s no will to resist it. You lose control.”

“Are there physical changes?”

“Not exactly. But Light energy grows jagged and wrong. You feel mine.”

“It doesn’t feel wrong. It feels hurt.”

“I haven’t Gone Wild, yet. I’m still here. But,” he hesitated. “I’m close to the edge. And no one comes back once they fall off of that cliff.”

“You’re not going to fall.”

“No?”

“No. You do have the will to resist.”

“The thought of losing myself scares me.” He whispered, admitting it out loud for the first time.

“Of course it does. But that’s how you know you’re still in control. You still know who you are and what’s important.

Kahn automatically opened his mouth to contradict that optimistic assessment, only to stop short. Randa had a point. He’d never heard of a Phase with a Match succumbing to the Wildness. They knew how important the connection was. It anchored them.

“You don’t need to worry about falling with me here.” She went on. “Stone Phases build their whole communities on the edge of cliffs. I can show you how to balance anywhere. You just need to fight back against the Wildness and stay with me.”

Relief rushed through him.

Hope.

For the first time in years, he felt hope. His Match would keep him safe. He wasn’t going to die in the forbidden reaches of the forest. He could resist the darkness. He already was. He had Randa, now. Nothing else could compare to the pull he felt towards her.

“I’m going to stay with you.” He agreed.

Randa flushed at his besotted tone and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Good. It will probably be hard, but you can do it. I’ve found sessions with Dr. Ashley useful. Humans are different from us in small ways, but like us in so many big ones. Even if Gone Wild isn’t a disease they get, their methods might still be able to help.”

“I would hate talking to humans about my feelings.”

“It’s not supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be work. Work that only you can do.”

He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Even if I tried therapy, you’d be my motivation. Finding you gave me a purpose. I think you’re my savior. I really do.”

Her dark gaze searched his.

Kahn stared back. He had nothing to hide. She knew all of him.

Randa blew out a long breath, like she was about to jump into deep water. “I struggle with letting people in. That’s why my communication is sometimes not ideal. I think I should do everything on my own. That’s not healthy. But…” She fell silent again.

A full minute went by. Kahn waited. Randa was trying to say something. He wanted to know what it was, so he sat there and listened.

“Maybe if I leaned on you, you could teach me that it was safe to need someone.” She became fascinated with her cuticles. “And if you leaned on me, I could help motivate you to try therapy. Then, we’d be each other’s saviors. And that would be the right balance for our Match.”

“Fuck yes!” Kahn burst out. He lifted both fists in victory and a huge grin cut across his face.

Randa’s head snapped around, arching an amused brow at his excited shout.