It didn’t dawn on Thea that she could feel his emotions - and he could feel hers. No, all of this was still just too much. She couldn’t seem to grasp one thought and hold it. Instead, they spun around her like a tornado. But then he squeezed her hand. She was certain of it, and that drew her gaze up to him, a sense of comfort at the small act. It made her heart swell, knowing he was there, knowing she was safe - even from herself. Giving a nod, “Right, sorry, I - I’m just confused,” she sniffled softly. I won’t abandon you. It echoed in her mind, relief etching through the array of emotions that washed through her. “You won’t? Promise? I - I don’t want to lose you,” just the mere words were enough to draw fresh tears to her eyes, though she was clearly fighting them back, mostly for his sake. She knew he wasn’t great with emotions. “Thank you, Master,” her voice soft, raw, grateful he’d look in on her sister. And then his touch was gone, his body pulling away from her. The rough words made her recoil, instinctively, mostly out of shock with a hint of fear at the sudden increased volume. “I’m trying!” she hadn’t meant to snap back, but the words came out that way, an edge to them. “Sorry,” she was quick to murmur. It was that last part that didn’t catch up to her brain for several moments. “Wait, what?” she eased her body forward, carefully, slowly standing up from the bed. She was still a little unsteady, but all too focused on the topic to realize. “I don’t - wh - what’s going on? What do you mean? How?”
Callis could feel her emotions settle at least a little when he squeezed her hand, but it hardly lasted enough to give him any respite from the hurricane of emotions she was unknowingly projecting through the bond. Again, his reassurance gave her a little peace, once again short lived, though the promise to check on her sister seemed to calm at least part of her worries. He received her thankfulness with a nod, but soon enough, he was pulling back, and that only made the chaos in his mind worse. He was surprised when she snapped back, but he figured she could feel his anger as much as he could feel... everything she was feeling. “How do you live like that?” he muttered, shaking his head at the burden of so many emotions. He knew he could hardly escape explanations now, but when she stood, he automatically stepped in to help her stay on her still unstable feet. “You were hurt, so I had to give you my blood,” he explained, trying to keep everything as simple as possible. He was already anticipating the new wave of emotions that were going to hit him in response to this. “When vampires willingly let humans drink their blood, it creates... a bond. An emotional bond,” he took a deep breath, and realized his hand was holding her arm a little too tightly so he loosened his grip. “That’s why I never do it.”