Page 41 of Stolen By the Wraiths
"Vain knows us," Serak said, his voice cutting through the tension. "He knows what drives us. He's counting on that being his advantage. It's a mistake we won't let him make again." He looked to Deyric. "Now, tell us what else you found. How much bigger is this?"
Deyric took a breath. "I've been analyzing the data from Hessler's files, and there are references to something called the Synthesis Project. It's bigger than just bonding research."
The mood shifted, becoming more focused. "How much bigger?" Malrik asked.
"Multi-species. Multi-sector. And there are references to AI integration protocols that don't match anything in our databases." Deyric's dark eyes held a starfield's worth of concern. "Whoever they were working with, they have technology that shouldn't exist yet."
"Artificial intelligence merged with biological systems?" Thoryn asked, his rumbling voice a low growl.
"That's my read," Deyric confirmed. "And if I'm right, Vain's network wasn't just studying bonding mechanisms. They were trying to create something new. Something that could control biological connections through technological interface."
A chill ran down my spine. The implications were staggering—not just weaponized love, but love controlled by artificial intelligence. The ultimate fusion of biology and technology, with all the potential for abuse that combination implied.
"There's more," Deyric continued, his voice growing quieter. "The files reference a facility called Nexus Station. Deep void coordinates, completely off the shipping lanes. But the power signatures they're describing... it's not just a research station. It's something much bigger."
"Outer fringe territory," Jessa murmured, something thoughtful in her expression. "Past the conflict zones where the Conglomerate used to run black sites."
Thoryn's gaze sharpened—a subtle but unmistakable shift that spoke of recognition. His massive hands flexed once against the table, scales shifting color in a way that suggested old memories stirring.
Alix reached for my hand under the table, and I felt her steady determination through our bond. Whatever was waiting out there, we'd face it together.
"So we find this Nexus Station," I said, speaking for both of us. "And we shut it down before they can perfect whatever they're building."
"Agreed," Serak said, his pale eyes reflecting the subtle intensity that made him such an effective leader. "But we'll need more intelligence first. And probably more firepower."
"I might know someone who can help with that," Jessa said, something speculative in her expression. "An old contact who specializes in impossible jobs. A coordinator with military background—someone who can navigate the kind of terrain we're talking about."
Thoryn's attention focused on her with perfect accuracy, though he remained silent. But there was something in his stillness now—not his usual calm, but the kind of controlled tension that spoke of personal investment.
"The outer fringes are dangerous," Serak observed. "Warlords, abandoned Conglomerate sites, psychic interference from old experiments. We'd need someone who understands that kind of environment."
"She does," Jessa said quietly, and I caught the way Thoryn's scales shifted again—darker now, more intense. "The question is whether she's still alive to help us."
As the conversation continued around planning and logistics, I caught Deyric studying something on his data pad with unusual intensity. His expression was troubled, almost haunted, and I wondered what he'd found in those files that he wasn't ready to share yet.
But it was Thoryn who drew my attention more. The massive Tamzari sat with his usual perfect stillness, but there was something different about his silence tonight. Not peaceful, but watchful. Waiting. As if whatever Jessa had implied about her contact had awakened something he'd thought long buried.
Whatever shadows were gathering, whatever new horrors Vain's network had unleashed, we'd face them as a family. A crew that had chosen each other, bonds forged in fire and tested by the worst the galaxy could throw at us.
The claiming was complete. The love was permanent. The future was ours to write.
And apparently, that future was going to be every bit as dangerous as the past we'd survived.
He died once.Losing him again might destroy me.
The ghostof my past just walked into my cantina.
Thoryn—the warrior I loved and lost—stands before me like he still owns my heart. Eight years ago, he was ripped from me in blood and fire. I buried my grief, built an empire out of the ashes, and crowned myself Smuggler Queen of the Outer Fringes.
I thought he was dead.
Turns out he was only gone.
Now he’s alive. Still lethal, still protective, still the male who claimed my soul. And the one who shattered me when he vanished without a trace.
I swore I’d never survive that kind of loss again. I swore I’d never let anyone close enough to ruin me twice.
But when assassins tear apart my empire, I have no choice but to turn to him. To survive the brutal gauntlet of a warlord’s gladiatorial trials, we have to fight together. Bleed together. Trust each other.
And every stolen touch, every heated glance, burns through the walls I swore I’d keep between us.
Now we’re stranded, hunted, and one wrong move could kill us both. But I’m no longer the woman who needed saving. I’m a queen who learned to save herself.
