22. (DANE POV)

(DANE POV)

A chill enveloped me, as if the mere mention summoned the darkness of that night. Summoned him. "No," I said, more sternly than intended. "You will never see that one."

Her face fell into a pout, but this was one area where my resolve was ironclad. "Jo," I started, struggling to keep my voice even, "my transformation into what I am was... violent. Revisiting that memory requires a strength I can't muster at the moment."

The truth was, some scars ran too deep, their edges frayed with a violence that threatened to unravel at the slightest touch. "And besides, it awakens certain... impulses that are better left dormant."

The warning in my voice was clear, a boundary drawn from years of wrestling with the beast that transformation had birthed within me.

As our argument unfolded within the bounds of our shared dreamscape, I realized the intensity of our connection. My finger remained in her mouth, drawing upon the essence of my being long after the wound had sealed. The realiza