Chapter 30 · I would be disappointed if you didn't

"I would be disappointed if you didn't."

"You're impossible."

"You've noticed."

The corner of his mouth lifted. It was barely a smile, but it made the space between them feel too small.

Sera hated that, too.

"Do it," she said.

Kael turned her wrist and pressed the black band against the port at his neck.

The backlash hit like a hammer.

He made a rough sound and dropped hard against her. Sera caught him by the coat, her shoulder slamming into the console. Light exploded under his skin. The chip screamed in a frequency she felt in her teeth.

"Kael!"

"Don't let go."

"You're burning!"

"I said don't—"

His knees buckled.

Sera hooked one arm around his waist and kept him upright. His body was solid and hot against hers, his breath breaking against her temple. The bond dragged his pain through her in sharp flashes, but the black lines on her arm were fading.

The countdown vanished.

The guard door blew inward.

Three soldiers rushed through the smoke.

Mira threw a metal disc. It struck the first guard's visor and released a burst of white sparks. He collapsed.