That was why I was here now, standing in the emperor's suite with my aura held tight and dark, shadows clinging longer than they should have, watching Nadine argue like she was still on Earth and not already standing on the edge of a cosmic fault line.
"Absolutely not." Nadine exploded after I suggested that she leave the ship and come with me. Her voice cracked through the room like a blade finding its mark. She looked exhausted. Dark circles beneath sharp blue eyes, posture rigid with sleepless defiance. Cranky, then. Good. Angry minds were easier to predict than frightened ones.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," she added. "I'm here to study the black hole."
"The Dark Abyss," I corrected automatically.
She shot me a glare. "The. Black. Hole."
Daryus leaned back slightly, fingers steepled. He was serious now, not amused, not posturing. "I'm not going to force Doctor Phillips to go with you, Dravok."
I turned to him slowly, letting just a fraction of my aura bleed into the room. Not a threat. A reminder.
"No one is forced into destiny," I stated evenly. "But the Abyss is already aware of her presence," I ignored Nadine's huff, "and trust me, you don't want the Abyss to take possession of her."
Heather made a soft, thoughtful sound. "That sounds… ominous."
"The Abyss sensed her; it senses that she… matters to me. It will use her." That much was true.
I wasn't ready to accept the bond. I wasn't ready to accepther. But if Nythor had even a shred of foresight left in his fractured mind, he would know I intended to execute him the moment I found him. Unfortunately, in addition to the danger the Abyss posed to her, Nadine was also the only one who could translate his fractured cognition. The only mind I had encountered capable of imposing structure where his thoughts had begun to dissolve into Abyssal noise. Which meant her presence on my mission wasn't optional any longer.
Heather tilted her head, studying me with open curiosity. "So… is she your Soulweb bond?"
I blinked. It took me a moment to remember the Space Guardians and their visible Soulweb markings, swirling and ornamental, designed to make recognition easier in the next life.
"That's Space Guardian nonsense," I said flatly. "Arkhevari don't?—"
"Oh! Of course," Heather interrupted brightly. "You'd have the mating marks."
By the Shattered Void, must we do this now?
"How come the Pandraxians don't have those?" Heather continued, genuinely interested.
"Heather," Daryus warned.
"No, really," she insisted. "They're fascinating. Those mating bonds are so neat."
"Mating bonds?" Nadine echoed, disbelief layered with fatigue.
Heather's eyes lit. "Oh yes! The Space Guardians have Soulweb bonds, visible markings that appear once the bond is complete. They're beautiful. Silla and I are deeply envious."
I glanced at Nadine. She did not look impressed.
"Marks don't just appear on bodies," she muttered. "That's not how skin works."
Heather laughed. "You should see it. It's magnificent. Like living tattoos."
Nadine's mouth tightened.Tattoos? Her thoughts radiated. Where there had been a black void before, I could suddenly easily pick up some of her thoughts. A jolt of satisfaction ran through me at the new access.Permanently altering your skin? No, thank you. Skin stretches. Sags. Ages.
Daryus cleared his throat. "As I said, I will not force her."
"Good," Nadine snapped. "Because I'm not going."
That was the moment I stopped pretending. I hated myself for it. But Nox Eternum had already reached for her once. I would not allow it a second opportunity. I reached—not with force, not fully—just enough tonudge. A suggestion. A redirection. A possibility gently emphasized while other paths were… dulled.
It was wrong. It was necessary. And to my surprise, it was difficult. Her mind resisted me like nothing I had ever encountered. Sharp. Adaptive. Actively hostile. I had to work, threading around defenses that should not have existed in any mortal consciousness. She nearly threw me out. Me!
My jaw tightened as I held the influence just long enough.
