Chapter 15 · Then don't lose control

"Then don't lose control."

"That's your plan?"

"It's the one we've got."

She stared at him for one more second, then took his other hand. Her fingers slid between his, cool at first, then warming as the tether woke.

The blue light raced up both their arms.

Kael's knees nearly buckled.

Nyx caught him by the front of his coat and pulled him close. "Stay with me."

"You sound worried."

"I'm calculating your survival odds."

"And?"

"They're embarrassing."

"You always this sweet?"

"Only when someone is about to die because of me."

Her forehead nearly touched his. He could feel the vibration in her voice through the small space between them. His heart beat too fast. Hers didn't beat at all, but the shell reacted to his rhythm, copying the pattern against his palms.

Vargas laughed through the speakers.

"There it is," he said. "The forbidden link. The Empire spent eleven years trying to build a leash that strong. You made one by accident."

Nyx's eyes hardened. "You don't know what you built."

"I know exactly what you are."

"Then say it."

"You were never designed to be free."

The words cut through the dock.

Kael looked at Nyx.