Page 76 of Zayrik

Avoidance.

But not rejection.

Not anymore.

The activated etchings on my arms pulsed. Not painful, but insistent. A steady hum that spoke a truth I hadn’t asked for but could no longer deny. That responded to every subtle shift in her energy, every aborted movement toward me, every moment she fought against what we both felt.

She was myK’sha. My fated one.

And we might not survive tomorrow.

The thought made something primitive and protective rise in my chest.

“Nyla,” I said softly. Her name, a prayer and a plea.

Even though she didn’t turn to face me, I saw the way her shoulders tensed. The way her breath caught. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be.”

I huffed a quiet laugh, the sound carrying more understanding than humor. “It’s already complicated.” It had been complicated since the moment she stepped onto my ship. Since the first time I felt my mating marks respond to her presence.

She didn’t answer.

But she didn’t move away either.

And that told me everything I needed to know.

I rose and slowly crossed the room. Giving her time to process, to choose.

I stopped just close enough to reach for her.

So close I could feel her body heat and the slight tremor in her breath.

Still giving her the space to walk away if she needed to.

She didn’t move.

“Look at me,” I murmured.

She turned, slowly. Like every movement cost her something.

And when her eyes met mine, they weren’t cold. They weren’t distant.

They were afraid.

But beneath the fear was something else.

Something that looked like hope.

Like want.

Like trust.

Progress.

I pushed up my sleeve.

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