Page 34 of Stars in Nova

They exited the spa area without fuss, her hand brushing his arm as if they were lovers departing after an intimate evening. No one in the bustling lobby of CyVoda paid them much attention.

Outside, a sleek, bot-operated flyer awaited, its polished surface reflecting the neon veins of Eden II’s skyline.

The skimmer hummed as it ascended, its engines a whisper against the backdrop of the city.

Kisan sat, limbs rigid, spine flexed beside her, his mind churning as his body remained under her subtle control.

The city’s glow spilled through the flyer’s windows, illuminating the curves of her face, her calm demeanor unsettling.

Samira turned to him, her moon-dust-flecked eyes catching the light. ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ she said, her tone measured. ‘You hate me at this moment, and you’ve every right. But please have faith; I don’t intend to harm you, and this will end soon. I only need one thing from you.’

His jaw clenched, the only part of him he could still move.

You didn’t have to do this, he communicated with the glare in his eyes.

His limbs trembling with suppressed anger and the kinetic charge he kept trying to fire up to regain control.

‘You wouldn’t have helped me of your own volition,’ she replied. ‘Also, time is of the essence, and I don’t have time for debates.’

Her hand shifted beneath her cloak, and he caught the glint of the weapon she had trained on him.

‘This isn’t just any laser gun,’ she warned. ‘It uses neuro-toxin bullets, which deliver a much higher dose of the current antigen inside you. If I were to fire it into you, your entire physiology would collapse in minutes. Your metanoids would explode, and you’d be left a puddle all over this floor.’

She spoke with a cold iciness that belied the Samira he’d come to know.

Fokk, how had he let this happen? How had he not seen her coming?’

The scent of her—salt and citrus—lingered in the enclosed space.

He focused on it, breathing in and out, for that was all he could do.

The flyer descended in a smooth maneuver, landing at the entrance of Sable HQ.

When they entered the lobby, the familiar sight of Kage and Zane Sable greeted him.

The two Riders stood near the access, their imposing frames cutting sharp silhouettes against the building’s gleaming interior.

Kage grinned when he tagged his fellow Rider and strode to him, hugging him.

His fellow Rider was a hulking figure with short jet-black tresses streaked with aqua highlights. He sported a bushy, inky beard, metallic gray eyes, a stubborn chin, and a swathe of jagged scars down one side of his face.

Raising a brow, Kage used his neural node to whisper to Kisan.Bringing a friend home, huh? Ace! About fokkin’ time.

Zane was a lean, towering, striking, and muscled man with dark, thick hair featuring silver highlights, a neat mustache, and a goatee with piercing blue eyes. His elegant presence contrasted with his more casual-dressed companion.

He raised an eyebrow, his penetrating gaze flicking to Samira.She’s a beauty, stunning at that. You’ve been holding out on us, brother.

Kisan’s lips twitched into a forced smirk, his mind racing to keep the charade intact.

When he attempted to use his neural node one more time, a sharp stab of agony went through his skull.

He winced and covered it up almost at once with a chin jerk at his mates, acutely aware of the barrel of Samira’s weapon up against his spine.

She stayed close, her cloak draped so that her armament remained hidden.

She offered the Riders a polite smile, her calm demeanor betraying nothing of her true intentions.

‘See you around, gentlemen,’ the woman by his side crooned in a delicious velvet voice.

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