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I freeze, barely breathing. The voice isn’t audible—it resonates directly in my mind, unmistakably Lila’s. She’s… speaking to me.

Impossible!

The dampening fields should prevent any magic, especially telepathic intrusion.

Her expression doesn’t change, but her eyes intensify, boring into mine.

Can you hear me?

I give the smallest nod, imperceptible to anyone watching but clear to her. My dragon stirs beneath my skin, responding to magic that shouldn’t exist in this heavily warded room. Responding to her in a way I’ve never experienced—like she’s calling to something primal in me, something that recognizes her as more than just an asset to protect.

The Shard did something to me. Changed me. I’m stronger now.

Her words are so clear, it’s like she’s speaking into my ear. I pretend to check my tablet, mind racing. The extraction damaged her neural pathways, Hargen said. Reconfigured them. Created new connections where none existed before. Did it do this? Did Creed’s inhuman treatment actually increase her power? The irony isn’t lost on me.

“Security protocols appear functional,” I say aloud, still maintaining the charade. “No anomalies detected.”

They’re planning something,she says to me silently.Creed came yesterday. They’re going to use the Shard again. Soon.

I force my expression to remain unmoved despite the alarm bells her message triggers.

“Maintenance schedule shows standard inspection due next week,” I continue professionally. “I’ll need access to your full containment specifications.”

They want to control a dragon. One inside the Craven clan. I don’t know if I can stop it.

I feel myself go cold. This is worse than I thought. If they succeed in controlling a Craven dragon through Lila and the Shard…

“I’ll coordinate with Dr. Emerson regarding your medical evaluations,” I say, moving toward the door as my allotted time expires. “Standard procedure.”

Don’t leave me here. Please.

The plea sucks the air from my lungs, though her face remains composed, the perfect prisoner showing nothing to watching eyes. My chest tightens with the need to promise her freedom, to swear I’ll burn this place to the ground before letting them hurt her again. To tell her that something in me has shifted irrevocably since I first saw her—that I don’t just want to save her for the mission anymore, but for reasons I’m afraid to name.

Instead, I tap something into my tablet. “Noted. Security Chief Reeve, inspection complete.”

I turn to leave, every step away from her a battle against instinct.

I trust you.

Three words that pierce me more deeply than any knife. Trust. After being used and violated and abandoned, she offers trust to a man she barely knows. To me. Something in my chest responds to that trust—an ancient dragon impulse to protect, to claim, to cherish.

I pause at the threshold, looking back one last time. Our eyes meet across the sterile room, camera watching, guards listening,yet in that moment we’re alone together in the space between heartbeats. I try to pour everything I can’t say into my gaze—that I’ll come back for her, that whatever this connection is between us, it’s becoming impossible to deny.

“Procedure dictates we maintain optimal security for high-value assets,” I say, words for the record but eyes speaking differently. “I’ll return for further assessment.”

A promise. A vow.

Her chin lifts slightly. Message received.

The door slides closed between us, severing our connection. The guard nods as I pass.

“All in order, sir?”

“Routine.” I shrug, the picture of bored professionalism. “Asset secure.”

I stride through corridors that feel like tunnels now, narrowing toward an uncertain future. My orders are clear: stand down, gather intelligence, wait for the right moment. Strategic patience.

But patience won’t save Lila from what Creed plans next. Won’t stop them from using her and the Shard to control a Craven dragon. Won’t prevent them from leveraging her against her newly powerful daughter.

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