Chapter 35 · Overdrive Awakening

"Get your hands off me, Kael! I can handle this!" Sloane's voice was a jagged mess, half-scream, half-sob. She tried to shove me back, but her arms were shaking, her skin burning through the thin fabric of her Enforcer jacket.

I didn't budge. I pinned her against the rusted bulkhead of the corridor, my fingers digging into her shoulders. The neural sync was screaming. Every nerve in my body felt like it was being threaded with white-hot needles, and she was feeling it too.

"Shut up and let me in," I snapped. I could taste copper in my mouth. "You're crashing. If I don't stabilize the load, your brain is going to fry before we even hit the exit."

"I don't... I don't need your help," she spat, but her head lolled back against the metal. Her eyes were blown wide, pupils dancing. The power dynamic had shifted. A few hours ago, she was the one holding the leash. Now, she was vibrating apart in my arms, and I was the only thing keeping her heart beating.

I leaned in, my chest pressing against hers. I could feel the frantic, irregular thrum of her pulse. I didn't kiss her—not yet—