Ezo stared at Kammon, who stared right back. Ezo had no idea what to say or do. You’d think with all the time he’d been searching for Kammon, Ezo would have something planned for this moment. There was nothing in his head right now except relief and anger now that he had proof that Kammon knew about the bond.

“I’ll just leave you two to it then,” Danya broke the silence as he walked out and closed the door behind him.

“Ezo, I can explain-”

“Yes, you can, and you will. Why didn’t you say something?”

“Can I get out and put some pants on before we have this conversation?” Kammon asked, motioning to the tub.

“No. Damn it, no, you can’t! I had to chase you down because... I don’t even know why. I don’t know why you ran from this, but you did, and you knew I was coming, so you should have damn well been prepared before I showed up.”

He threw himself into the chair by the table and looked over at Kammon. The other man watched him warily but didn’t start speaking yet. He looked healthier today than he had when Ezo had last seen him. “Healing springs?” he asked. “How bad is it?”

“I’m doing better. I would have left a few days ago, but ...”

“But what?”

“They were very persistent about me staying long enough to heal properly from my wounds and the exhaustion. They found and cared for me when I was at the lowest place of my life. If I were to call anyplace in the world home, it would be here.”

“They knew I was coming.”

Kammon nodded. “I told them. The... the bond allows me to feel when you’re getting closer. And Ember started tracking you,” he said. “She kept me aware of your progress. Danya and Cassen know far more about elementalists than most healers I’ve met. And Cassen has made it his business to learn about anything that might affect me. The busybody’s taken a very strong interest in my healing.”

Ezo snorted. “So, what about me? Why am I the last to know? Jacob kept a lot from me, including the bond.”

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“But why did Jacob keep it from you, Ezo?” Kammon asked. “That’s been the biggest question. I knew him, and not just in passing. He wasn’t the sort of man who would raise his nephew in ignorance. So why did he?”

Ezo shook his head. “I’ve been trying to figure that out, too. But it doesn’t answer why you didn’t tell me about the bond. Or why you ran from it.”

“The first time the bond formed, I thought it was temporary. Temporary bonds can happen sometimes in extreme events, and that night at Mason Creek, I thought that’s what it was. Usually, the bond takes time to develop and grow before it solidifies. It allows elementalists to distance themselves from each other if they don’t want to accept the connection.”

“But ours didn’t go away.”

“No. When we traveled together to find the raiders, I could still feel it. I’ll be honest, Ezo. This bond scares me.”

“I can tell.”

Kammon leaned forward in the tub as he spoke. “The bond connects us, allows us to ground each other when the magic or the call of it is too much. It tells us where our bondmate is in a general way. But you shouldn’t have known I was fighting that morning in the village. And I should never have been able to pull from your power without you close enough to touch. I can feel you and your power under my skin all the time, though.”

“I feel it, too, and how exhausted you are.”

Kammon sat up straight in the water. “You can feel that?”

“Whatever that thing inside of you is, it’s draining you. It’s why you’re always so exhausted.”

Kammon frowned. “That... thing has been there a long time, Ezo. As long as I can remember. It was better after I took the Vow. I’m Disavowed now, though, and stripped of that protection. I don’t want this thing inside of me hurting you. Without understanding why our bond is different, how can I let you close? How could I allow this thing to have access to you through a bond that did the impossible already?”

Ezo let out a tired sigh and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I don’t want to have to chase you anymore, Kammon. Whatever this is, we have to tackle it together.”

Kammon nodded. “I tried to distance myself, hoping the connection would dissipate, but that was never going to work for us. The bond took as soon as I touched you in Mason Creek. For its own reasons, the magic has bound us.”

Ezo let out a deep breath and nodded.

“Ezo, tell Cassen to feed you and set you up in the spring. When you come out, I’ll be waiting at the Inn. We can talk more after you’ve healed.”

“I’m not sick.”

Kammon smiled. “I could tell from the way you walk that you’ve been riding a horse, Ezo. You don’t do it well.”

“Shut up,” Ezo said. He grabbed an apple off the table and threw it at Kammon. The other man caught it, took a bite, and his smile grew wider.

“Trust me, you’ll feel a hundred times better after a soak. And Cassen has a tea that hides the taste of leria powder completely.”

“Can I trust that you won’t leave me again?” Ezo asked.

Kammon’s smile dimmed slightly, but his humor still seemed to be intact. “I’m done running. I’ll be waiting for you this time.”