“You see her when you look at me. I understand.”
“Yeah, but I don’t understand.” He turned away and looked out the large windows. Outside, he spotted Mal wandering around the scrap yard. “Why the cat and mouse? Stealing our hunts. Sneaking in here?”
“I had to get your attention. And I wanted to see how you worked.” A slight smile. “I wanted to see if the legendary Phoenix brothers lived up to the myth.”
That smile, it was nothing like Vik’s wide grin, but something about it called to him. “And?”
“So far so good.” Her lips flattened. “I need this to work.”
He couldn’t stop himself. He reached out and traced his fingers along her jaw with the lightest touch.
She froze, her eyes widening.
When he felt the tiny ridges near her hairline, he dropped his hand. “We’ll help you.”
“Even if I’m not her?” Ria whispered.
“Even then.”
There was a chime from the console near the screens.
“BEll has the results,” Nik told them.
“Who’s BEll?” Ria asked.
Zayn shook his head. “You really don’t want to know.”
“Excuse me.” BEll’s voice rang out. “My name is BEll. I’m a Biocomputerized Entity Mach II. The most advanced biocomp in the galaxy.”
“Ah…I’m Ria. Nice to meet you. You’re the first computer with integrated biological components I’ve ever met.”
“Maybe you aren’t the most advanced anymore?” Zayn said. “Maybe someone’s made a new model by now?”
A sniff. “I highly doubt that.” BEll’s voice was prim. “I monitor all technological advancements. I’m still the best.”
“And the most humble.” Dathan strolled back in, holding Eos’ hand, but there was tension in his face.
Zayn read between the lines. They’d made up but Eos had gotten her way.
“You have the results, BEll?” Nik asked.
“Yes.”
Nik looked at Zayn and Ria. “Ready?”
Zayn turned to Ria. She nodded.
His heart pounded, and it was then he noticed she was worrying her fingers together. He reached out and grabbed her hand. Surprisingly, she willingly tangled her fingers with his.
“First off, I had a hell of time finding Pictori DNA anywhere on file,” BEll said. “You guys are rare.”
Ria breathed in a long breath. “But you found some?”
“One obscure sample. I had to sneak into the Assassin’s Guild records. Ria’s DNA is consistent with Pictori DNA. She’s not Deltan.”
She wasn’t Vik. Zayn had thought he was prepared for this, but he felt dizzy, and a complex mix of emotion burst through him, threatening to spill out like toxic fluid.
“I—” God, his throat was so tight.
