Chapter 12 · Deal with the Abyss

“Get behind me. Now.”

Cain didn’t look back. He just shoved me, palm flat against my shoulder, slamming me into the reinforced alloy wall. The impact knocked the wind out of me, but he was already moving—a living shield between me and the shattered doorway.

Glass rained down in shimmering shards. The breach had been surgical. One high-frequency pulse and the security seal had just... evaporated.

“Who is it?” I gasped, clutching the wall. The star-core in my chest hummed, vibrating with a warning that felt like a physical scream.

“Doesn’t matter,” Cain snapped. He didn’t use the bond this time. He didn’t need to. He stepped back, boots crunching on glass, hand already white-knuckled on the hilt of his combat blade. “Stay close. If I tell you to run, you don’t look back. You just go.”

“Since when do you care if I run?” I shot back. My voice trembled, but I didn't back down. The air tasted of ozone—the sharp, metallic scent of a Void-tech breach.

He glanced over his shoulder. His eyes were dark, cold, but there was a shadow there—the same vulnerability I’d glimpsed in his mind minutes ago.

“Shut up, Lyra.