I glared at him.
But Camden chuckled. “I can imagine that. He’s obsessed, but so’s Monty.”
“Disgusting. And boring.” Vorjyn leaned his head back. “I miss killing people.”
Camden choked.
Noxlyn glanced between them, almost assessing. Only a moment later, he took out his screen and started to make notes.
I covered my face. This was hopeless. To think I was missing this. Though that wasn’t strictly true. I was missing Monqilcolnen. I wanted to see him. It was becoming an ache, although it hadn’t strictly been that much time. And… I missed people. I missed being a part of things. I hated this clawing emptiness.
“Well, since you’re alive, I’ll let you be,” Camden said, starting to stand.
Noxlyn followed, claws clacking away. “If he had been dead, would you have bothered his corpse? Prodding it and such? Is that a human custom?”
Camden burst into laughter, threading his arm through Noxlyn’s, and said, “I think I’ll have to explain that in greater detail. Come on.”
I ignored them as they left and tried to focus on the issue at hand.
Vorjyn stood. “What do you want me to tell Monqilcolnen?”
My teeth sank into my lip. I wanted to tell Monqilcolnen to come get me, but I swallowed the words. “Tell him I’m well and working hard.”
He snorted and left without a word.
The instant the door closed, the gnawing pit in my stomach swelled and I hugged my knees to my chest.
“Well. Is he okay?” I demanded, pacing the length of my office. Cincin had abandoned me long ago but continued to glare at me from her tree.
Vorjyn lounged on the couch in my office, picking at his claws. “That’s what he says. It’s a lie. He looks horrible. I have seen dead bodies with more life than Wyn had.”
I growled in warning, and he stared at me, nonplussed.
“Even that human Camden had been planning on prodding Wyn and whatnot, though I think he needed to be dead first for the human ritual. Wyn basically looked dead, and he has the same personality as a corpse, so it’s probably the same thing.”
A snarl built in my throat, but once again, Vorjyn ignored me.
Wyn. His name never left my thoughts no matter what I was doing. The damage to NAID was minimal as of yet. The computer was merely slow. No sign of the kill code had been found on any other ship or within the main hub of NAID. As a precaution, every ship and station had severed their links with the main hub to prevent widespread catastrophes.
But so far, nothing had happened.
I hated that Wyn and I were separated when what we all feared wasn’t so terrible, at least not yet. I couldn’t understand Talvax’s reasoning. I’d respected Wyn’s wishes and kept from speaking to her, but it was getting harder with every day that passed. My instincts thrummed that I needed to find my mate and keep him wrapped within my embrace, never letting him go again.
“So he’s not well?” I demanded, my tail whipping and a growl rumbling in my chest.
“This may shock you, but I don’t know him, so I’m only guessing. Wyn doesn’t look well, but he said he is. That’s all I have to offer.” Vorjyn continued drinking his graugg, unbothered.
I didn’t have the luxury of being calm. I was attempting to find my mask, but it refused to form. I missed Wyn too fiercely. I was too concerned about him. My parents had pinged me every day, and I’d ignored them. Urgg, Seth, and Bartholomew had all reached out; they were rebuffed as well. Kalvoxrencoland Serlotminden had tried to comfort me, and I’d shoved them away. Even Hallonnixmin and Dontilvynsan had reached out, and I’d refused to speak with them.
None of them could fix what was wrong. But the problem was: neither could I.
Hopefully, someone, anyone would solve the problem Wyn had created so the two of us could be side by side again. From reading the reports, I was beginning to see how intelligent Wyn was and how challenging breaking this virus he’d made was going to be. It was adaptive and invasive. It was slowly corrupting and spreading throughout every system. It might not be causing issues now, but it was a matter of time.
I faced Vorjyn. “What do I do?”
“How would I know?This, whatever you and Wyn are, isn’t something I do or understand. Ask me how to murder someone, and I will be very helpful.”
I scrubbed a hand down my face. I felt utterly helpless, and I hated that feeling. I pushed on my inner fire, trying to prompt it into doing something, showing me something that would assist my mate. Nothing happened. I had no sudden flash of insight. I was helpless and couldn’t even soothe Wyn. He’d been taken from me. I’d never hated Talvax before, but I did now, even though she was suffering as well.
