Miles has built his life around watching without interfering. Now Tamsin meets the Black priest in the church storage room. The priest waits for a signal, and Miles is the one who gives it. After that, one command is all it takes, and Tamsin answers it. Motherhood left her thick with milk, and the priest is the one who draws it now. Miles needs the sight of it as much as he fears it will take her from him.

Every session goes further than the last, and the priest asks for more each time. Tamsin looks to Miles throughout, hunting the approval that keeps their bond from breaking. Her fear of being unwanted is what brings her back. Miles could end all of it with a single word. He gives the signal instead.