“I can’t feed off of anyone but you.”

A long silence stretched between them as Layla stared slack-jawed at Atreus. She took a step away from him and he let her, releasing her hand as she put some distance between them.

“What does that mean?” she asked wearily. “You can’t feed off anyone but me, or won’t?”

“What is the difference?” he deflected.

“It makes all the difference, Atreus,” Layla said, trepidation ...