Page 11 of Zayrik

Zep’s soft, worried trill reached my ears. My gaze flicked down. My little winged pet Laupin was perched just beside me, tail flicking, watching my every move.

Alive. Still with me. Some of the tightness in my chest loosened.

Then I noticed my jacket.

Gone.

I was suddenly seized by panic.

A brutal wave of dizziness slammed me against the bench after I stood up too fast.

The Alaran let out a dry sound, somewhere between amusement and exasperation. “Yeah. Thought you might try that.”

I forced a glare through my spinning vision. “Where’s my jacket?”

His brow lifted. “Really? Not athanks for the emergency medical treatment?”

My pulse was still hammering. My jacket wasn’t just a damn jacket. “I need it,” I said, voice tight.

He watched me with an unreadable expression, the only movement the slight flex of his jaw.

Nav chimed in from my wrist, speaking aloud again. “Your vitals indicate elevated stress. Perhaps focus on not reopening your wound before demanding belongings from the person who saved your life?”

“Shut. Up. Nav,” I hissed.

The Alaran’s eyebrow raised a fraction higher. “Your AI has a point.”

“My AI doesn’t have self-preservation programming,” I muttered.

“Accurate,” Nav agreed.

The corner of the male’s mouth twitched upward. Then with deliberate slowness, he leaned down and grabbed my jacket from a side chair. Exactly within his reach, exactlynotwithin mine.

“I’ll bite,” he said, turning it in his hands. “What’s so special about this thing?”

“Give it back.”

His gaze was fixed on me. Then, he did precisely the reverse. He slid one hand into the lining, feeling for... something.

Ice crawled down my spine.

I moved. Fast.

Pain screamed through my ribs, but Ilunged anyway, grabbing for it. He shifted effortlessly, yanking it just out of reach. I hit the seat hard, breath punching from my lungs.

He sighed. “You are absolutely terrible at this.”

I grit my teeth,not giving up.“I will claw your face off,” I snarled.

Zep bristled beside me, wings flaring, ready to launch.

“Both of you will stand down,” he said firmly, but without heat. He actually grinned. “Damn. Feisty, even half-dead. No wonder they’re after you.”

The wordslanded wrong.I stilled.

He caught it. His smirk faded just slightly, eyes narrowing in keen calculation. “You already knew, didn’t you?”

I swallowed. My heartbeat wastoo loud.

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