Chapter 12 · Twin Core Wake

"Get your hand off me before I break it," Sloane hissed, though she didn't actually pull away.

I didn't listen. I couldn't. My fingers were locked around her wrist, squeezing hard enough to leave marks. The air in the cramped safehouse felt like it was vibrating, humming with a frequency that made my teeth ache. Inside my chest, something was screaming. Not a sound, but a pressure—a hot, jagged surge of power that felt like it was trying to split my ribs open from the inside.

"You're shaking," she noted, her voice tight. She stepped closer, her boots clicking on the grimy metal floor. "Is this the 'gift' your creators left you? Spontaneous combustion?"

"Shut up," I gasped. I lurched forward, my forehead nearly hitting hers. The heat coming off my skin was visible, a faint, shimmering haze. "It's not... it's not just the sync. Something is waking up. I can't—"

"Can't what?" She didn't back down. She never did. Sloane stepped into my space, her chest brushing against mine, her eyes scanning my face with a mix of professional curiosity and genuine irritation. "Explain it, Kael. Now.