Chapter 16 · The Safe Room Lies

"Step back, Jett. Now."

Reign’s hand clamped around my wrist, his grip like a vice. He didn't just stop me; he practically yanked me backward as I tried to lean toward the sleek, white console of the room. The air in here was too clean, smelling of ozone and expensive sterility. It felt like a trap. Because it was.

"It's a safe room, Reign!" I snapped, trying to wrench my arm free. "The System flagged this as a neutral zone. We can actually breathe for five seconds without someone trying to put a rail-slug through my skull."

"Neutral zones don't have triple-reinforced titanium plating on the doors," Reign countered. His voice was a low, dangerous rumble, vibrating right through my skin. He didn't let go. Instead, he stepped closer, his chest nearly brushing my shoulder. The heat radiating off his rig was oppressive, a constant reminder that he was more weapon than man.

"You’re paranoid," I muttered, though my heart was hammering against my ribs.

"I'm a war-AI," he whispered, his breath ghosting over the shell of my ear. "I don't do paranoia. I do probability. And the probability of this room being a cage is currently ninety-eight percent.