Page 3 of Second

His gaze skimmed over her face, catching the transient flicker of hesitation in her eyes, and for a moment, he felt unmoored, caught in a strange tension that he couldn’t define but couldn’t ignore.

She pulled the shirt over her head, the fabric hanging loosely to just past her knees on her smaller frame. Her scent lingered faintly on the air, warm and human, and he found himself unexpectedly aware of it. Then she bent and snatched a pair of glasses from off the floor and settled them on her nose. One lens was cracked and the earpieces appeared bent, but they were serviceable, he supposed. Odd that humans didn’t have the capability to permanently correct poor vision. He gathered up his armor and swiftly refastenedit.

As he reached to guide her, his hand brushed against a wide bracelet encircling her wrist. It was metallic, intricately designed, with small jewels embedded along its surface. The moment his skin made contact, ashock ran through him—aburst of heat and light that made his breath hitch. He pulled back instinctively, but far too late. Asecond bracelet, identical to hers, materialized around his own wrist, glowing faintly.

“What—” Elara began, her voice trembling.

The bracelets pulsed in unison, afaint hum vibrating through the air. Alow but persistent sound emitted from them, aresonance that seemed to sink into Zar’Ryn’s bones. Asurge of heat rippled from the band on his wrist, spreading upward through his arm, and into his chest like a living force.

Elara let out a choked gasp, clutching her wrist as her dark eyes darted towardhim.

His breath hitched as a cascade of emotions, sharp and unrelenting, crashed into him. The tremor of mistrust. The burn of raw vulnerability. Fear so visceral it stole his breath. Anger tinged with humiliation. And a desperate undercurrent of hope all mingled in an endless torrent. The sensations didn’t belong to him. His vision dimmed momentarily, his body struggling to reconcile the onslaught.

Kibl!They belonged toher.

He staggered, his head spinning as the flood of emotions hit him in an unending tidal wave. His pulse thundered in his ears, his usually disciplined mind battling the chaotic sensations flowing from her. The hum of the bracelets grew louder, filling the air between them with an almost tangible pressure, and when he looked at her again, heknew.

She felt him, too.

He radiated a rigid control that he’d always clung to, as well as a surge of protectiveness he couldn’t suppress. But worse of all the desire that had swept through him when he’d first seen her burned there, as well. They were all mirrored in her wide, disbelieving gaze. She shook her head in instant denial. And yet, that desire mirrored something within her, aswell.

A wave of heat spread from his wrist, radiating up his arm and into his chest. It was as though the metal band had a heartbeat, syncing itself to his own, then syncing to hers. His vision blurred for an instant, not from physical pain but from the surge of emotions flooding him. They weren’t his, but they gripped him as if they were. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to focus, but the connection was unrelenting.

Elara gasped audibly, clutching her head as her gaze darted to him. He could feel her bewilderment and dread, mingled with something deeper—an ache of mistrust warring with the faintest spark of reluctant hope. The sensation twisted in his chest, unfamiliar and unsettling.

“What’s happening?” she whispered, her voice breaking.

“I do not know,” Zar’Ryn replied, his tone rough. The glow of the bracelets dimmed slightly, but the connection remained, aconstant presence pulsating at the edge of his awareness.

“This… this is bad,” she said, her voice shaky.

“Agreed.” Zar’Ryn flexed his fingers, the alien sensation of shared emotions making his skin crawl. “But we do not have time to figure it out. The Marauders will not wait.”

Elara nodded reluctantly, her gaze flicking to the open door. “Let’s get the others.”

Zar’Ryn gestured for her to follow, his mind racing as they stepped into the corridor. The weight of her emotions pressed against his own, an unrelenting reminder of the bond that now linked them. Whatever had happened, he knew one thing for certain.

Their fates were no longer theirown.

Chapter 2

THE DIM CORRIDORseemed to close in around them, its damp walls reflecting the flickering light of faulty overhead fixtures. Zar’Ryn moved with practiced precision, his sharp senses alert for any sign of danger.

Behind him, Elara trailed cautiously, her footsteps almost imperceptible but her presence impossible to ignore. The faint sound of her breathing mingled with the distant drone of machinery, asubtle reminder of how her emotions—raw and unfiltered—pressed against his own through the bond. Every flicker of her fear, every trace of her uncertainty, pulsed through him like a second heartbeat, filling the space between them with a tension that was as distracting as it was inescapable.

Elara remained silent, but he could feel her turmoil. Fear, mistrust, and a reluctant thread of hope rippled through the bond. It was intense and unguarded, and Zar’Ryn clenched his fists, struggling to maintain his concentration. For centuries, he had focused on discipline, detachment, and duty. But that focusdissolved in her presence, leaving him exposed to feelings he couldn’t control.

“Are you always this quiet?” Elara’s voice cut through the heavy air, sharp and defensive.

He didn’t stop walking. “Quiet is survival.”

She scoffed. “You say that like it’s a fact.”

“It is,” he replied, glancing over his shoulder. “Now, remain silent.”

Her dark eyes met his, defiant and searching, but there was something deeper in them—astorm of mistrust and vulnerability tangled with an unspoken challenge. He could sense her trying to read him, to gauge whether he was a threat or anally.

It unsettled him, the way her gaze seemed to pierce through his disciplined facade, forcing him to acknowledge the raw, unguarded connection pressing against him through the bond. The emotions she radiated—frustration, curiosity, and something unspoken—hit him with startling clarity. He turned back, trying to block the sensations pressing against hismind.

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