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When the lights returned, Selyr wasgone.

Zar’Ryn turned, his gaze sweeping the room. The remaining Marauders lay scattered across the floor, lifeless. The lab was in ruins, its consoles sparking and hissing as the station groaned under the strain of the assault.

The bond called to him, loud and strident, Elara’s presence cutting through the haze of battle. She was alive. That was all that mattered.

With a final glance at the destruction around him, Zar’Ryn turned and headed for the emergency exit. The battle was over, but the war was far fromwon.

Chapter 15

ELARA SATon the edge of the observatory bench, her fingers gripping the blanket draped over her shoulders. The ship’s gentle vibration was the only sound in the room, aconstant reminder that she was aboard Zar’Ryn’s vessel,Vengeance.

Its steady rhythms underfoot were both familiar and grounding, though they did little to ease the tension coiling in her chest. Her body ached, every muscle protesting even the slightest movement, and her head throbbed with a dull, unrelenting pain. Though she had scrubbed herself clean of the battle’s grime, the memories clung to her, heavy and inescapable.

But it wasn’t the physical pain that left her so unsteady. It was thebond.

Since its formation, the bond between her and Zar’Ryn had been a constant presence, arhythm that pulsed softly at the edge of her awareness. It was a source of comfort, areassurance that she was never truly alone. But now, that steady hum was muted,reduced to little more than a faint whisper. It was like losing a part of herself, and the absence left her unsettled, hollow. Worse, it filled her with questions she couldn’t answer.

Was Zar’Ryn alive? Was he safe? Had the bond’s quieting meant he was hurt—or worse?

Her mind raced with possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last. She’d felt his emotions through the bond during the battle—his frustration, his resolve, and then, suddenly, nothing. It had been like a light extinguished, leaving her in thedark.

She clenched the blanket tighter around herself, trying to shake the growing dread. Zar’Ryn was strong. He was a warrior. If anyone could survive, it was him. But even warriors had limits, and she had seen his determination push him to dangerous extremes before. What if this time it had pushed toofar?

The thought was too much to bear. She buried her face in her hands, willing the bond to spark, to flare, to give her anything that might tell her he was still there.

The door hissed open behindher.

Elara froze, her breath catching in her throat. Slowly, she turned, and her heart leapt as she saw him. Zar’Ryn.

He stood in the doorway, his tall frame filling the space as his sharp amethyst gaze swept over her. His armor was battered, his long white hair loose and wild around his shoulders, and his movements were stiff with pain. But he was alive. The bond surged, flaring to life between them, and she felt his relief, his exhaustion, and something deeper—something that made her throat tighten.

“Elara,” he said, his voice rough. The way he spoke her name, like it was the only word that mattered, sent a shiver throughher.

“Zar’Ryn,” she whispered, her voice trembling. Tears blurred her vision as she rose, her legs unsteady beneath her. She took one step toward him, then another, until she was close enough to see the tension in his jaw, the shadows beneath hiseyes.

“I thought…” Her voice broke. “I thought I’d lost you.”

For a moment, he didn’t speak. He just looked at her, his expression softening as he reached out to cup her cheek. His hand was warm, calloused, and steady, grounding her in a way nothing else could.

“You will never lose me,” he said quietly. “Not while I still draw breath.”

Her tears spilled over, and she leaned into his touch, her hands gripping his wrist as if to anchor herself. The bond pulsed between them, aquiet rhythm that eased the gnawing fear in her chest. He was here. He was real. And she wasn’t alone.

He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her in a way that was both protective and tender. She buried her face against his chest, inhaling the scent of him, amix of metal, sweat, and something uniquely Zar’Ryn. It was a scent she had come to associate with safety, and she clung to it now, letting it soothe the jagged edges of her emotions.

“I am sorry,” he murmured against her hair. “For everything. For leaving you. For not being there when you needed me.”

She shook her head, her hands fisting in the fabric of his tunic. “Don’t. Don’t you dare apologize. You’ve saved me more times than I can count. You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

His arms tightened around her, and she felt the weight of his emotions through the bond—his relief, his guilt, his overwhelming need to protect her. It was a storm of feeling, raw and unfiltered, and she let herself sink into it, letting it wash away the fear that had gripped her for solong.

The bond flared brighter, pulsing with a warmth that spread through her chest and down her limbs. It wasn’t just a connection—it was him. All of him. And she realized, with a clarity that left her breathless, that she didn’t want to lose this. She didn’t want to losehim.

She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her hands resting on his chest. “Zar’Ryn…”

Before she could say more, the door hissed open again, and the moment shattered. Tor’Vek entered the observation deck, his calm, measured presence a stark contrast to the raw emotions filling the space. His sharp gaze swept over them, lingering briefly on their closeness before he spoke.

“I apologize for the intrusion,” he said, his voice steady. “But we have a situation.”

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