Julian’s POV
“Rafael,” I said into the cellphone. As I answered, I stepped into the hallway, not wanting my mother to overhear in case there was trouble. “What’s going on?”
“You sound more curious than concerned, Julian,” Rafael said. “Didn’t you feel anything strange today?”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t feel anything.”
Rafael sneered, his disgust clear even through the phone. “Perhaps it is time then for you to finally set Amber free. After all, if you can’t feel anything through the mating bond anymore, then it must have run its natural course.”
“Absolutely not,” I said with vehemence, rejecting that opinion with the full entirety of my being, no matter how hazy with the medicinal fog. But then the crux of his words truly set into me. “Did something happen?”
“You should le
