Page 36 of Rupture

Rose sucked in a breath, her lungs constricting as if the air had suddenly become too thick.She could do this. She had to do this.“Of course. Um...”

Warm pressure at the small of her back startled her. Finn. His solid presence radiated quiet strength. His touch an anchor, grounding her amid chaos.

“Want some company?” The low rumble of his voice sent a quiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the room’s temperature.

“Yes.” The word came out as little more than a whisper. She cleared her throat, tried again. “Yes, that would be great. Thank you.”

Duke motioned them forward, tugging back the screen with a soft rasp of fabric on metal. The sound grated on her already frazzled nerves.

Thea lay propped up on the bed, surrounded by a nest of pillows. Her dark hair fanned out across the stark white sheets like ink spilled across paper. For a moment, Thea didn’t move, her gaze fixed on some middle distance, as if still lost in whatever dreams had gripped her during her period of unconsciousness.

Rose lowered herself into the orange plastic chair beside the bed, hyper-aware of Finn hovering behind her.

Duke’s polite cough broke the tense silence. “I have to check on the rest of the crew. A few minutes, that’s all—she needs to rest.”

Thea turned her head. Her eyes, so like Rose’s own, widened fractionally. Rose reached for her but Thea recoiled and tucked her hand beneath the sterile white sheet.

Deep breath.Okay, so it’s going to be like this. I can deal.

“Thea.” So wrong, but her sister’s name felt foreign on her tongue.

Thea’s blue eyes, familiar yet devoid of any warmth. “Rose.”

Well, that was a start. At least Thea remembered who she was.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” Thea’s eyes never left Rose’s face, betraying nothing.

Rose laced her fingers in her lap. “Of course. That’s understandable given everything you’ve been through.”

A single wrinkle formed on Thea’s forehead. “What I’ve been through?”

“Can you tell us about what’s happened?”

“It’s been a very difficult time.” Thea’s voice was flat. Her gaze shifted, sliding past Rose to focus on Finn.

An unexpected flare of possessiveness ignited in Rose’s belly as her sister’s gaze raked over Finn’s powerful frame.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are.” Thea’s arched eyebrows demanded an introduction.

“Finn, Ma’am. Finn Jones. I’m part of the search and rescue team sent down when the Io went dark.”

“Search and rescue?”

Rose didn’t miss the sliver of skepticism, the hint of Thea’s sharp intellect peeking through the alleged fog.

“Something like that.” Finn lifted one shoulder, his expression casual.

Rose inhaled, steeling herself. “Thea, the Io has been dark for several days.”

Thea nodded slowly and pressed two fingertips to her temple as if she could dislodge the memories by physical touch alone. “Everything in my head is jumbled. I remember people being scared, but not why.” Some thing shifted in her expression and her gaze whipped up, instantly alert. “Should I be scared?”

The question hung in the air, loaded with implications.

Rose fidgeted, fighting the urge to sit on her hands to calm their tremble. “We’ve checked the habitat. There’s no evidence of forced entry.” She paused, weighing her next words carefully. “The habitat was sealed from the inside and the shuttle access sabotaged, blocking all normal routes. We had to dive the Dragon’s Breath lake to reach you. When we got here, you and your team were locked away in the biome. Not just locked, the doors were sealed shut. Can you tell us why?”

Thea didn’t miss a beat. “My team can be over cautious?—”

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