Chapter 13 · Neural Overload

“Stop shaking. If you blow this circuit, Mia dies in five minutes.”

Elias’s hand clamped hard around Nora’s wrist, pinning her against the humming machinery of the relay station. The metal was freezing, but he was pure heat, crowding her space until she could feel the heavy thrum of his chest against her shoulder.

Nora gasped, her fingers twitching against the cold copper interface. “I can’t... my hands won’t stop. The feedback is too high!”

“Look at me,” he commanded. His voice was a low vibration she felt in her teeth. “Focus on my voice. Not the static. Me.”

Nora glared up at him, eyes stinging. “Easy for you. You’re not the one with a neural rig melting into your spine.”

“I’m the one keeping you from collapsing.”

He shifted his grip, thumb pressing firmly into the pulse point of her wrist. The contact sent a jolt through their bond—not a spark, but a heavy, grounding thrum that made Nora’s breath hitch.

“The bond is the only thing keeping the signal stable,” he muttered, his gaze dropping to her lips for a fraction of a second. “But you’re too weak to carry the load alone. Give it to me.”

“What?”