Gorlim is growing impatient. The unsettling insistence of his instincts that something is not right will not leave him, whether it is from the lingering echo of whatever nightmare he had awakened from, or could it be some shadow of his lover's need through their bond? His worry, his desperation...

It was not like him to insist so fervently. Usually his Namo knew the best way to calm a flighty dove was by patient coaxing. Demands were a new thing.

Perhaps trying a new trick?

One that would not work.

Gorlim pulls away, slowly but firmly. "You know I want to. But I made a promise, and I must see that through!"