Chapter 36 · Neon Run

"Sit. Still. Or I’ll have the med-bot weld you to the chair," Kael snapped. His hand didn't leave the small of my back, pushing me down into the sleek, cold leather of the safehouse chair.

I didn't sit. I lurched. My vision was swimming in jagged neon streaks, and every time I breathed, it felt like I was inhaling powdered glass. "I can... I can still fight," I managed, though my voice sounded like it had been dragged through a gravel pit.

"Fight what? The air?" Kael’s voice was sharp, cutting through my haze. He stepped around me, his movements precise and predatory. He didn't look like a corporate heir right now. He looked like a man who had just watched his favorite weapon crack in half and was deciding whether to fix it or throw it away.

He grabbed my wrist, his grip like a vice. He didn't just check my pulse; he squeezed, forcing me to look at him. His eyes were dark, scanning the tremor in my hand. "Your heart is skipping, Vesper. The gene-mod is rejecting the last surge. If we don't stabilize the protocol, you're going to crash. Hard.