Page 35 of Sixth
He caught her before she fell, wrapping his hand around her wrist. The pulse between them thundered like a second heartbeat. “Agree with me.”
Her eyes darted to his, dazed. “What?”
“Say it. Agree.”
Her breath came uneven. “I agree.”
Their connection slammed shut, light bursting between their bodies, while the snare screamed. Apex forced their breathing to sync, his voice low and steady. “With me. Always with me.”
The hum fractured, broke apart. The lattice flickered and died, drones falling from the air like sparks extinguished bywind.
“Containment failure,”Core reported.“Enemy sensors disoriented. Recommend relocation immediately.”
Apex pulled her against him, scanning the tree line. The forest wasn’t silent anymore. It was listening. The colors shifted, green bleeding to gold, violet rippling through the undergrowth. The sound that came next wasn’t mechanical. It was organic. Deep. Resonant.
The Echo Predator.
Lume’s small, glowing form zipped into view. “Close. Too close!” Her voice chimed in their skulls like silver bells. “It wakes.”
Voss’s laughter broke through the comm. “Still hiding behind Sovereign law? Hand her over, Apex. You think a mark can make her yours? Ibuilt that market.”
Apex’s reply was soft but lethal. “By decree, the Valenmark lies beyond purchase. You have no claim.”
Voss snarled. “Then I’ll take her corpse.”
He triggered another pulse. The harmonic spear hit them before Apex could brace. Emmy’s cry tore through the clearing. The air bent around her, light warping into violent red. Apex caught her again, forcing her trembling hand to his chest.
“Focus,” he said, voice like command steel. “Breathe with me.”
She fought for air. “It’s— burning—”
“I know.” He pressed her palm harder to his chest. “Now. Agree.”
Her head tipped back. “Always.”
Their heartbeats collided. The mark exploded in white light, not pain now, but power. The pulse shattered the spear mid-air, scattering shards of red sound across the trees. The force of it drove both of them to their knees. The aftershock chargeddeep in his bones, as though his body itself had become an instrument.
“Multiple biosignatures approaching from all sides,”Core warned.“Twenty-five meters and closing.”
Apex pushed to his feet, hauling Emmy upright. “Move.”
Lume spun through the air, motes trailing like fireflies. “Come!”
They ran. The forest became motion and color. Leaves brushed their faces, luminous fronds whispering as they passed. The motes swirled ahead, guiding them through a maze of light. Each step synced with their joined pulse, every breath a shared rhythm. Emmy’s hair gleamed with pollen, her skin shining with a soft halo of light that clung to her like armor. She moved with surprising strength, the mark fueling her in ways she didn’t yet understand.
Flares hissed behind them. Energy bolts cracked through the branches. Adrone raked the path with red beads, painting light toward their backs. Apex pivoted, fired once, and knocked it spinning into fern and fire. He didn’t look to see it die. His only focus was Emmy, her breathing, her balance, her light.
The Valenmark burned steady now, acompass pulling them forward. Each stride was a silent prayer, each heartbeat a promise. He could sense her fear and her defiance, pick up on the echo of both inside him as if her emotions had become hisown.
They burst into another clearing, the wreck of his ship crouched in the shadows like a wounded beast. Panels hung loose, the hull scarred and breathing smoke. Emmy stumbled, catching herself on the metal. The contact left a handprint of light across the hull, motes clustering there like a livingseal.
He was already at the hatch. “Inside. Now.”
She obeyed, sliding through the narrow opening as he sealed it behind them. The smell of metal and ash filled the air. Heat still radiated from the walls. He could hear the ship’s systems whining to life, protesting after too long asleep. The corridor lights flickered, painting the interior in pale blue pulses.
“Core. Status.”
“Shields offline. Weapon grid nominal at twelve percent. Suggest repair of plasma coupler to restore basic defenses.”
