Page 36 of Stars in Nova

She jerked from him as she stepped further into the vortex.

He lurched, unable to stop her from stepping into it.

Its pull was too strong for him.

Just before she disappeared into its swirling depths, Kisan gritted his teeth, summoned all remaining power to his hand, and yanked her wrist comm from her.

The maelstrom collapsed with a fading buzz, leaving him alone in the silent apartment, his chest heaving, his fist clutching her device.

The mask was gone, but he held her comm in his hand—a slim connection to the woman who had betrayed him.

His viridescent eyes glowed with roiling rage in the dim light as he stared at it, his mind racing with the implications of what she had just accomplished.

With a groan, he slid down on one knee, then the other, and collapsed.

That Woman’s Poison

Kisan lay crumpled on the floor of his apartment, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

His body convulsed as his biological systems initiated a reboot, the last-resort fail-safe embedded deep within his meta-enhanced physiology.

He rarely used this process—only when he was desperate—for its impacts were excruciating and costly.

His vision blurred as golden light erupted from his skin, wrapping him in a radiant cocoon.

The glow pulsed in sync with his heart’s rhythm, locking his muscles as the regenerative function began.

The effects of neuro-toxin were lessening, and the impact of the contaminant was reduced by the surge of meta energy coursing through him, but the damage lingered.

Even though Samira had mentioned the poison would flush out in a couple of days, he needed an antidote in hours.

Fokk, he had no intention of remaining this weak for a few more spans.

He’d definitely need a potent neutralizing agent, but that would come later.

Agony rippled through every cell, his body swinging between destruction and renewal.

Kisan’s thoughts churned through the haze of pain.

How could he have let this happen?

The betrayal of the heart stung as much as the physical agony.

Distracted by her beauty, mystery, and crafted vulnerability, he had dropped his guard.

Fury roiled inside him, directed as much as at himself as at her.

‘Fokkyou, Samira,’ he muttered through gritted teeth. ‘If that’s even your name.’

His body shuddered as the final phase of the reboot was completed.

The golden light dimmed and faded, leaving him sweaty and gasping on the cold floor.

With a growl, he tried to push up, his arms trembling under his burly physique. He collapsed again, his fists slamming against the ground in frustration.

He refused to stay down.

Over and over, he forced himself up, his limbs protesting with each attempt.

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