“Retreating might have been a coward’s tactic, but it felt safe. There was no more risking his heart to inevitable demise. There was no one to lose. Choosing to be alone was supposed to be free of guilt and pain, but it came with its own kind of loss that had nearly swallowed him before Amara showed up. She had offered him purpose, adventure, friendship, and, unintentionally, a lifeline. How could she possibly know that she had saved him? She wouldn’t, unless he showed her. Ouen reached over Franks and took Amara’s hovering, blood-stained, hand in his.”
Book:Technically Not Dead