And I don’t know what that says about me.
My hands are shaking.
Not from fear. No. That would be easier. That would mean I still held the high ground—the moral clarity of knowing I was in the right, standing tall against a monster.
But this?
This is adrenaline.
White-hot, bitter as liquor poured down the wrong throat. I don’t even notice I’m gripping the edge of the corridor’s wall until my nails dig into the reinforced alloy, and I have to unclench finger by finger.
I walked out like I was made of marble. Like his words didn’t rattle the bones beneath my skin. Like that little comment—about my balls, of all things—wasn’t carved with something dangerously close to respect.
But now that I’m alone, away from the watching eyes and his predator’s gaze, the truth rushes in like a broken dam.
I liked it.
Not the flattery. Or the heat in his voice or the curl of his smirk. I liked the challenge. The push. The friction. Like I could burn against him and still rise stronger from the ash.
That’s not justice. That’s corruption.
I should go back and file for reassignment.
I should do a thousand things.
Instead, I go home.
My apartment is a cold gray box. Not minimalist—sterile. Just the way I like it. Or used to. Now it feels clinical, like a crime scene.
I drop my bag, kick off my heels, and fall backward onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling like it has answers.
It doesn’t.
I replay it. Again and again. His voice. That subtle growl just under the words. The way his eyes tracked me not like prey—but like a rival. An equal.
My datapad dings. Case updates.
I don’t move.
I cover my face with the pillow. Press until my lungs tighten and my skin prickles from lack of air. Maybe if I suffocate the thoughts, they’ll die. Maybe if I block out the sound of his voice echoing in my head, I’ll forget the way my body reacted when he leaned in.
But I don’t forget.
I feel it in every pulse point. Every inch of skin he never touched but still managed to brand.
This isn’t happening.
But it is.
And I don’t know how to stop it.
CHAPTER 8
AEBON REXX
Something's wrong.
I don’t hear it at first. Ifeelit.
