Page 49 of Stars in Aura

The second his noids made contact with her palms, they retracted, repelled.

The force around her shimmered, an unseen barrier of celestial origin blocking his invasive tech.

She locked eyes with him. Challenging him and daring him to try again.

His silver gaze darkened.

His jaw ticked. ‘More voodoo?’

His intonation was timbred, unreadable.

She smirked. ‘Still think it is?’

Ki’Remi said nothing, but she sensed the tension radiating off him in waves.

His fists flexed at his sides, and his entire body wound tight as a compressed coil.

Finally, after a prolonged, seething moment, he exhaled, his voice cutting through the thick, humid air.

‘’Tis not voodoo, but it’s not anything I’ve seen before.’

Her smirk widened. ‘Nada, you have not. The question is, Sable, are you open to more than just old facts, hard science, and equations? Or will you let your logic blind you?’

He stared at her for so long, with such intensity, that she almost regretted provoking him.

Almost.

Bear’s breathing evened out.

The energy receded from Issa’s hands, leaving behind unmarred skin, no sign of injury, no indication he had ever been dying at all.

Juno exhaled in shock, reaching out to touch Bear’s side, only to find it smooth and completely whole.

Bear’s eyes cracked open, his chest heaving as he returned to awareness.

‘What thefokkin’ hell?’

His deep voice was raspy, thick with confusion.

‘You’re welcome, sweetheart,’ Issa murmured, patting his massive shoulder.

Bear groaned, rubbing his cranium. ‘Damn. Thought I was done for.’

‘Almost,’ Ki’Remi muttered, his attention still glued to Issa.

Too many questions. Too much scrutiny. When would it end?

She rose to her feet and turned away before he read the weariness on her face.

Klash was still out cold, slumped in his floating chair.

She sighed, touched his forehead, and did it again.

Another glow. Another surge of energy.

The pilot’s eyes eased open a moment later, blinking with grogginess. ‘Hell. That’s a headache.’

Ki’Remi clenched his jaw so hard she thought she might hear his teeth crack.

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