Chapter 9
THE TENSION in the room hung as heavy as the silence. Elara stood near the doorway, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she watched Jo’Nay and his Second glare at each other from across the room. First’s lip was swollen and bleeding, and Zar’Ryn’s fists were still clenched, his knuckles raw from their fight. Neither of them spoke, the air between them thick with unspoken words and lingering anger.
Elara shifted uncomfortably, the bond between her and Zar’Ryn buzzing faintly with his frustration and guilt. She wanted to step in, to say something that would defuse the tension, but the intensity of their emotions kept her rooted in place.
It was Jo’Nay who finally broke the silence. “You hit like a desperate man,” he said, his voice low but cutting. He wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, his dark eyes locked on his Second.
Zar’Ryn’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond right away. Instead, he took a slow, measured breath, his gaze dropping to the floor. “I did not want to fight you,” he said finally, his voice rough. “But you did not leave me much choice.”
Jo’Nay snorted, abitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Because you are too stubborn to listen. Too caught up in your precious duty to see what is right in front of you.”
Zar’Ryn’s head snapped up, his violet eyes flashing. “And what exactly am I supposed to see, brother? That you have broken your oath? That you are chasing some dream of freedom that does not exist?”
“That is exactly what I am chasing,” Jo’Nay shot back, stepping closer. “And I will keep chasing it until I find it. You can stay here, chained to the code they forced on us, but do not expect me to do the same.”
Elara’s chest tightened as the bond surged with Zar’Ryn’s conflicted emotions—anger, shame, and a deep, painful longing. She could feel how much Jo’Nay’s words cut him, but she could also feel the steel core of his resolve. He wasn’t ready to let go of the principles that had defined his life for centuries. Winn exchanged a glance with her, her gaze reflecting similar thoughts.
“I cannot just abandon everything,” Zar’Ryn said quietly, his voice almost a whisper. “The code… it is all I have ever known.”
Jo’Nay’s expression softened, some of the fire in his gaze fading. “I am not asking you to abandon it,” he said. “I am asking you to question it. To think about what it has cost you. What it is still costing you.”
Zar’Ryn’s shoulders sagged slightly, the weight of Jo’Nay’s words settling heavily on him. For a long moment, he didn’t speak, his gaze distant as though he were turning Jo’Nay’s argument over in hismind.
Finally, he looked up, meeting his First’s gaze. “I cannot promise I will ever see things the way you do,” he said, his tone measured. “But I can promise to think about it. To try.”
Jo’Nay studied him for a moment before nodding. “That is all I am asking.”
The room fell into a calmer silence, the tension easing slightly. Elara let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, her grip on her arms loosening. She stepped forward tentatively, her voice soft. “You’re both bleeding,” she said, her gaze shifting between them. “Maybe it’s time to patch things up?”
Jo’Nay huffed a quiet laugh, but it lacked bitterness this time. “I have had worse,” he said, though he didn’t resist when Elara offered him the med disc from her pocket. He scanned it across his lip, before glancing at Zar’Ryn and passing the disc back. “You should let her take care of you. You look worse than me.”
Zar’Ryn grunted but didn’t argue. Instead, he turned to Elara, his expression softening slightly. “You are right,” he admitted. “We should… patch things up.”
Elara smiled faintly, relief washing over her. As she helped Zar’Ryn tend to the abrasions on his knuckles, she felt the bond settle into a calmer rhythm, the worst of the tension ebbing away. For the first time in what felt like hours, the air in the room felt breathable.
Jo’Nay cleared his throat, drawing their attention. “I should go,” he said. “Winn and I have a long journey ahead of us. Fourth’s not going to find himself.”
Elara’s brow furrowed. “Fourth?”
“Another member of our Prime unit,” Jo’Nay explained. “If there is a chance he is still out there, he deserves to know about the apples. About what they can do for us.”
Zar’Ryn nodded slowly. “Be careful,” he said, his voice steady. “The galaxy is not kind to those who stray from the path.”
Jo’Nay smiled, ahint of his usual confidence returning. “I have never been much for staying on the path. You know that.”
The two men shared a look, amoment of understanding passing between them while Winn and Elara gave each other a hard hug. Then Jo’Nay turned and strode toward the door with his mate, pausing just before it opened. “Take care of yourself, Zar’Ryn. And take care of her.”
Zar’Ryn glanced at Elara, then back at Jo’Nay. “I will.”
With that, Jo’Nay and Winn were gone, leaving the room quieter but no less charged. Elara let out another breath, her shoulders relaxing. She glanced at Zar’Ryn, offering him a tentative smile.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly.
He nodded, his gaze thoughtful. “I will be,” he said. And for the first time since the fight started, she believedhim.
Tor’Vek gestured toward the door. “If the two of you will follow me.” Though phrased like a question, it was anythingbut.
The room was filled with a tense silence as Zar’Ryn and Elara followed Tor’Vek into his lab. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic, the surfaces spotless. Elara couldn’t help but glance around at the sleek, sterile equipment and the faintly glowing monitors lining the walls. It was a space that radiated precision and control, much like Tor’Vek himself.
“Sit,” Tor’Vek said, gesturing to two chairs positioned near an imposing central console. He didn’t wait for them to respond before turning to a nearby panel and activating a series of holographic displays. “These bracelets you wear. They are not natural.”
Elara exchanged a glance with Zar’Ryn, her nerves fraying at the edges. The bond between them pulsated with his frustration and unease, amplifying her own. She sat carefully, folding her hands in her lap as she tried to calm the whirlwind of emotions pressing in onher.
“Tell me everything,” Tor’Vek said as he approached them, his gaze sharp. “How did you come to be bound by these bracelets? Leave nothing out.”
Zar’Ryn leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “It was during a mission,” he began, his voice low and measured. “I was sent to infiltrate a Marauder facility and retrieve a group of human captives. Elara was among them and already wearing a bracelet. After I released her from the manacles that held her, Ibrushed against her bracelet and another appeared on my wrist, connecting us.”
Elara’s stomach tightened at the memory, but she stayed silent, letting Zar’Ryn continue.
“While we were inside, we were captured by a scientist,” Zar’Ryn said, his violet eyes darkening. “He was Vettian, but not like any I have seen before. He was… disheveled, erratic. His hair was not white or black but something in between. Asteely gray. His eyes… they were yellow, and there was something unnatural about the way they glowed.”
Tor’Vek’s hands froze over his console, his posture stiffening. “Go on,” he said, his tone sharper than before.
Zar’Ryn’s gaze flicked to him briefly before continuing. “The scientist planned to use us as test subjects. When we were in his lab, he activated different abilities of the bracelets. He said they were a part of his… experiments.”
Tor’Vek lifted an eyebrow. “There is more.” Again a statement and not a question.
Elara swallowed hard. “He was controlling them with a device,” she added, her voice quieter. “He altered something on the device, and the bracelets… changed. Suddenly, it felt like he’d turned up every emotion to the maximum. Everything became overwhelming. And the… the physical pull between us…”
She broke off, her cheeks burning, but Zar’Ryn picked up the thread. “He turned the emotional and sexual aspects of the bond to unbearable levels,” he stated bluntly, his jaw tightening. “It was a deliberate manipulation. We had no control over it.”
Tor’Vek’s face remained impassive, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of unease. He turned back to his console, his fingers moving rapidly over the controls. “This scientist you describe,” he said after a moment. “Did he have a name?”
“Not one he shared,” Zar’Rynsaid.
Tor’Vek’s hands stilled again, and this time he turned to face them fully. “Selyr,” he bit out, his voice low. “I am fairly certain it is Selyr. If it is the same individual I am thinking of, then this is far more troubling than I anticipated.”
Elara’s pulse quickened. “You know him?” she asked, her voice laced with apprehension.
Tor’Vek’s expression darkened. “I know of him,” he corrected. “Selyr was a brilliant but deeply unstable scientist who disappeared centuries ago. He was obsessed with ancient artifacts and genetic manipulation, particularly as it pertained to Vettian physiology. He was part of the team that manipulated our DNA. If he has managed to create these bracelets…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but the implications hung heavily in theair.
Zar’Ryn shook his head. “He did not create them. He claims they came from a powerful civilization long gone.”
“Hmm. Even more dangerous.” Tor’Vek turned back to the console, activating a scanning device that projected a soft, golden light over Elara and Zar’Ryn’s wrists. The bracelets glimmered faintly under the light, their intricate glyphs shimmering like moltengold.
“Hold still,” Tor’Vek instructed, his tone clipped. “This will take a few moments.”
Elara clenched her hands in her lap, watching as the scanner moved slowly over the bracelets. Zar’Ryn sat motionless beside her, his expression unreadable, but she could feel the tension radiating off him through thebond.
“Fascinating,” Tor’Vek murmured as glyphs began to materialize in the air, projected from the scanner. “These symbols… they are not Vettian. At least, not entirely. There are elements here that predate our known history. This technology is ancient, far older than anything I have encountered. They definitely were not created by Selyr.”
Elara frowned. “If it’s so ancient, how did Selyr get his hands on it?”
“That is a question I cannot answer,” Tor’Vek said, his gaze fixed on the floating glyphs. “But what I can tell you is that these bracelets are designed to integrate with their wearers on a deeply intrinsic level. They are not merely ornamental or restrictive. They are symbiotic.”
“Symbiotic?” Zar’Ryn repeated, his tone skeptical.
Tor’Vek nodded. “They are actively interfacing with your physiology and emotions. Attempting to remove them would be… ill-advised. The consequences could be fatal.”
Elara’s stomach sank. “So we’re stuck with them?”
“For the moment, yes,” Tor’Vek said. “But there may be a way to create a means of regulating their effects. If Selyr was able to control them, it stands to reason that we could develop a similar interface.”
“How long would that take?” Zar’Ryn asked, his frustration evident.
Tor’Vek didn’t look at him. “That depends on what I uncover in my analysis. These glyphs are highly complex, and deciphering them will take time. But I will make it my highest priority.”
Elara glanced at Zar’Ryn, his tension mirrored in her own chest. She wanted to hope, but the weight of Tor’Vek’s words made it difficult. For now, all they could do waswait.
“You should leave now,” Tor’Vek said. “I feel a heat flash approaching. If you go to the end of the corridor to the left, you will find a sleeping chamber you can use while you are here. Please leave. Now.”
Elara and Zar’Ryn didn’t wait. They left the room and seconds later heard a pained cry. “What is that?” she whispered.
“It is the heat flash. It burns, growing steadily in intensity until the Final Flight.”
“And what happens then?” she asked apprehensively.
“The warrior immolates.”
Elara’s head spun as she followed Zar’Ryn down the corridor. The subtle vibration of the station’s machinery was a distant background noise compared to the roaring storm inside her chest. “Immolates? You mean, he burns up?”
“Affirmative.”
“And you would have burned up if not for the apples you ate?”
Several seconds passed before he repeated, “Affirmative.”
Her pulse raced, her skin tingling in the wake of the bond’s ever-present pull. The intensity had only grown since Tor’Vek’s examination, as though the bracelets had come alive in response to their scrutiny. Or maybe it was her horror at his revelations about this Final Flight.
Zar’Ryn’s broad shoulders were taut with tension as he walked ahead of her, his steps deliberate and rigid. She could feel the weight of his emotions pressing against her through the bond—frustration, longing, and an undercurrent of something darker, something primal that made her breath hitch. Her own emotions were no less chaotic, and the effort to keep them in check exhaustedher.
When they reached the door to their quarters, Zar’Ryn hesitated for the briefest moment before the panel slid open. The room was simply decorated with warm lighting, soft furnishings, and the dominating presence of a single large bed in the center. The moment the door closed behind them, the tension in the air thickened, almost suffocating in its intensity.
Elara hovered near the entrance, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to gather her thoughts. Zar’Ryn stood in the middle of the room, his back to her, his breathing heavy. She could see the way his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, his control fraying with every passing second.
“Zar’Ryn…” she began, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Do not,” he said sharply, cutting her off. He turned to face her, and the look in his eyes stole the breath from her lungs. The vibrant violet hue seemed to glow, darkened by an unrelenting hunger that matched the heat coursing through her veins. “I cannot do this right now, Elara. The bond… it is too much.”
Her throat tightened, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. “You think I don’t feel it, too?” she asked, her voice trembling. “You think it’s easy for me to keep… this under control?”
He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. “It is not about control anymore,” he said, his voice low and rough. “It is about survival. And right now, Iam barely holding on.”
Elara’s heart pounded, her pulse roaring in her ears. She could feel the bond between them sizzling like a live wire, every emotion amplified to an unbearable degree. She wanted to say something, anything to ease the tension, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she took an involuntary step toward him, her body moving of its own accord.
“Elara,” Zar’Ryn warned, his voice strained. “Do not.”
But she couldn’t stop. The bond pulled her closer, her desire and his blending into a single, inescapable force. When she reached him, she placed a trembling hand on his chest, her fingers splaying against the hard planes of muscle beneath the thin material of his shirt. His skin burned like fire, captured within her palm, and she felt him shudder in response.
“Tell me to stop,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He didn’t answer. Instead, his hand came up to cover hers, his larger fingers curling around her own. The intensity in his gaze deepened, his resolve crumbling before her eyes. “I cannot,” he admitted, his voice rough with longing. “I cannot tell you to stop.”
The admission sent a surge of heat through her, and before she could think better of it, she rose up on her toes, leaning into him. Their lips met in a searing kiss that stole the air from her lungs and sent her heart racing. The bond flared to life, flooding her senses with his emotions—desire, hunger, and a fierce protectiveness that left her breathless.
Zar’Ryn’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her flush against him as the kiss deepened. His touch became both possessive and demanding, as though he were afraid she might vanish if he let go. Elara clung to him, her fingers tangling in his hair as she surrendered to the overwhelming heat coursing throughher.
They stumbled backward, their movements frantic and uncoordinated as they sought the bed. Elara’s back hit the mattress, and Zar’Ryn followed her down, his weight a welcome pressure against her. His lips trailed down her jaw and to the curve of her neck, leaving a trail of fire in theirwake.
“Elara,” he murmured against her skin, his voice thick with need. “I… I do not know how to stop.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered, her hands roaming over his back, tracing the hard lines of muscle beneath his tunic. “Don’t stop.”
The bond surged between them, intensifying with every touch, every kiss. It was unlike anything Elara had ever experienced, aconnection so profound and all-consuming that it left her trembling. She could feel everything he felt—his desire, his hesitation, and the depth of his longing for her. It was intoxicating, and she never wanted it toend.
“You undo me, female,” Zar’Ryn said, his voice a rough whisper. “Every moment I am near you, Ilose a part of myself.”
Elara cupped his face, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Then let me put you back together,” she said softly. “Let me be what you need.”