Page 51 of Sy

She spun at his voice, one hand catching the rough stone wall. “Sy? Is Lila?—”

“Isan’s checked her thoroughly. Found nothing wrong.” He closed the distance between them. “She’s sleeping in your quarters now.”

Ashley’s knees nearly buckled, but she forced herself to stay upright. His hand shot out to steady her before he could stop himself, his fingers barely grazing her arm before he forced them back to his side. The brief contact burned through him.

“You’re sure?” The raw edge in her voice made his chest tight. “There wasn’t?—”

“Nothing.” He smiled. “I had her moved to your quarters so she can rest. Zeke will be there keeping watch.”

She fell into step beside him, close enough that he caught the tremors of exhaustion running through her. All his instinctsdemanded he pull her closer, shelter her. He shoved the urge down, hard. She was strong. She wouldn’t welcome his help.

“The meeting?” he asked, though her rigid spine and the bitter tang of anger in her scent already told him plenty.

“Went to hell in a handbasket.” Her laugh held no humor. “Thompson’s been feeding them information. About the settlement, about our defenses.” She ran a hand through her hair, the gesture sharp with frustration. “They’re threatening to broadcast everything unless we agree to their terms.”

Ice shot through his veins. If Thompson had discovered what they really were, if that information reached the empire’s networks… His vision hazed red at the edges. One transmission was all it would take to bring orbital strikes down on them all.

He turned, scanning the corridor until he spotted two Izaeans crossing their path further down. “Here!” The command in his voice brought them running, their boots thundering against stone.

“Search the human, Thompson’s, quarters,” he ordered. “Find any communications equipment. If it’s not there, find where he’s hidden it.” His expression showed what he couldn’t say aloud… that failure wasn’t an option, that they had permission to use whatever methods necessary.

The warriors nodded, their expressions grim. They understood the stakes.

As their footsteps faded, his symbiont stirred.Tired, it whispered in his mind.The weapon…exhausting.

Weapon? He prodded, but the symbiont had already retreated into silence, leaving him with fresh unease coiling in his gut. The silence weighed on him, that single word—weapon—echoing in his mind. He’d seen the way Lila had collapsed, the strange energy that had crackled around her. If his symbiont, ancient and powerful, was exhausted by whatever had happened…

Ashley swayed beside him. Without thinking, he shifted closer, ready to catch her if she fell. The scent of her wrapped around him, and all he wanted to do was hunt Thompson down himself, to tear into anyone who dared threaten her, threaten all of them?—

He cut that thought off.

“We’ll find the equipment,” he said, his voice steady. “And we’ll deal with Thompson.”

She glanced at him. “I know.”

Simple words, heavy with trust that made warmth spread through his chest.

They walked in silence through torch-lit corridors, and his attention fixed on every slight stumble in her step, every catch in her breathing. She was utterly exhausted. Despite the threat of Thompson’s transmissions, he needed to ensure that Ashley and Lila were safe. Then he could worry about weapons, threats, and the growing darkness on their horizon.

They reached her quarters, and he scanned the corridor before following her inside. The familiar scent of her living space hit him first… books, herbs, and that underlying sweetness that was purely Ashley.

He was expecting to see Lila in Ashley’s bed, but her companions stopped him short. She lay tangled in the blankets, one arm flung carelessly over Kal’s chest. The young warrior had curled around her protectively, even in sleep. Tor’s massive frame stretched across the foot of the bed, his bulk creating an unconscious barrier between the door and the others.

Soft breathing filled the room, punctuated by the occasional rustle of fabric as one of the sleepers shifted. The dim glow of the wall sconces cast gentle shadows, softening the new sharp edges of both the males’ faces and making Lila look younger, more vulnerable.

Zeke straightened from where he’d been examining a data pad, his movement drawing Sy’s attention.

“They’re all right?” Ashley asked, concern filling her voice. The sound drew his focus instantly back to her, and he noticed the way she swayed slightly on her feet. “Lila seemed fine when I left, but?—”

“Exhausted,” Zeke confirmed, his tone carefully neutral. “Her vital signs are stable. Prince Isan detected no lasting effects from the exposure.” He paused, tapping something on his pad. “Though he wants them monitored overnight, given the unknown nature of the tech involved.”

Ashley’s shoulders slumped further. Sy caught the slight tremor in her hands, the way she blinked too rapidly at Zeke’s words. He stepped closer, his hands on her upper arms, and she leaned back against him slightly.

“They’ll sleep through the night,” Zeke said, nodding to the trio on the bed. “They’re all exhausted.”

“I’ll just take a quick shower then and sleep on the couch,” she murmured, already turning toward the bathroom.

“The water pipes run through the walls here,” Zeke said in warning. “You’ll wake them.”

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