Page 109 of Akur

Maybe because her heart was still beating too hard. Or maybe because where they headed next had her spine set in a hard line, so much so that even though she was pressed against him, she could hardly relax.

The coordinates they were following had come from someone…and neither of them knew who.

As she wrapped her hands around his neck, the fin along Akur’s nape twitched—a sure sign he was sensing something she couldn’t.

“Akur,” she whispered, rubbing her jaw against his in a move that was both comforting and grounding. “What’s wrong?”

His jaw tightened against hers. “There’s something…” He trailedoff, frowning at the viewscreen. “The scanner is picking up intermittent signals, but I can’t see anything.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she stared into the darkness of space. “More Tasqal ships?”

He shook his head. “No. This is different. Almost like—”

The ship suddenly lurched, throwing her forward against him, and Akur’s arm wrapped tighter, steadying her.

“What the—”

Right in front of them, seeming to emerge from the void itself, a massive vessel was materializing.

Her breath caught. The ship was unlike anything she’d ever seen—sleek, impossibly white, with lines that seemed to defy physics. It hung in space like a work of art, beautiful and terrifying in its sudden appearance.

“Oh my God. Is that the Tasqals?”

Akur’s entire body tensed. “No. That’s…the Elysium,” he breathed.

“You know this ship?”

“I know its captain.” His eyes narrowed.

Before she could ask more, a transmission cut through their comms—or, at least she thought it did, before she realized the sound wasn’t coming from their ship. It was within her head.

“Akur…human female.” The voice was melodic, almost ethereal. Her eyes widened as she stared at Akur. “We have been waiting for you.” The words were smooth, almost as if she was hearing an inner voice that wasn’t hers.

“What the…” she breathed. But it seemed Akur had heard the voice too, and it wasn’t freaking him out.

He straightened, staring at the massive ship before them. “Yce. You sent the coordinates.”

“Yes,” the voice said, still tickling her mind. “Now dock before more Tasqal ships arrive. We have much to discuss.”

She stiffened slightly, glancing at Akur. “You heard it too, didn’t you?”

His gaze shifted from the large ship to hers before his hand moved to her back, steadying. “It’s Yce. He is Arois.”

Her brows furrowed. That name sounded familiar. And then it dinged. “Arois. Like that male. The one we saw tied up back in that citadel?” Something like unease threaded along her spine.

Akur didn’t respond. Instead, he watched her. “Yce rarely invades a being’s mind like this. Especially one who has never encountered or felt his mind speak before.” His fingers moved up to her temple, brushing away some of her hair. “We do not have to go in if you don’t want to.”

“He’s psychic,” she whispered.

“A powerful one.”

She swallowed hard. Back on Earth, these things didn’t exist. The psychics she knew couldn’t do this. But then again, they couldn’t use orbs to breach reality, either.

“The Elysium is one of the most advanced ships the Restitution has,” Akur went on. “I thought he had lost it on a mission, but…” His gaze shifted back to the large ship floating before them. “We will be safe here.”

But despite his confidence, Constance couldn’t shake her unease. The telepathic voice, the ship appearing from nowhere—it was all so far beyond her experience. She watched as their small craft was smoothly drawn into the pristine bay, the massive ship vanishing around them like a ghost swallowing them whole.

As the airlock began cycling open with a soft hiss, Akur stood, keeping his hand at her back as they moved toward the now open ramp.

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