Jael held Mauve in his arms. She had a locked grip around his neck with her face pressed up against him. She had just woken up, and he was letting her hang onto him as tightly as she wanted, even though she obstructed his airflow. But he didn't need to breathe—not when she was like this, and he was to blame for it.
When Louis had told him of his plan to give Seraphino the illusion that he could easily access Mauve and see what would happen, so they would have a good enough reason to kick him out, Jael had immediately shut it down. He didn't even want to hear it, but Louis had pressed, assuring him they would protect Mauve in time. However, Jael didn't like the idea of letting her revisit the horror.
