Nadine blinked. Her posture shifted. "Well…" her lips formed the words I dictated to her mind. "On second thought?—"
Daryus straightened. "Yes?"
She frowned, rubbing her temple. "This could be interesting. I mean, from an academic standpoint. Maybe I could learn more about the… black hole… from Dravok." I was glad that I remembered what she called the Black Abyss.
Heather's eyes narrowed. That female wasn't stupid. She suspected something.
Daryus looked between us. "You're certain?"
Nadine nodded, a little stiffly. "Yes. I think I should go."
The echo of the words rang wrong. Forced.
I felt it immediately, the strain beneath the surface, the way her truth bucked against the shape I'd pressed it into. Anger coiled tight and hot, a rising current she had not yet allowed herself to name. I liked her anger. Liked the challenge she provided, even though deep down, I knew how wrong what I was doing was. I had bent thousands of minds to my bidding, but with her… it felt wrong on every level. In the end, I wasn't only fighting her mind, I was fighting my own morals.
Daryus studied her carefully, then looked at me. "Very well," he agreed at last. "You'll leave at first light."
Heather's gaze lingered on Nadine, sharp and searching. I inclined my head in polite acknowledgment, already nudging the next step into place. "Then I should say my farewells."
Nadine turned toward the empress and emperor, movements just a fraction too precise. I kept my hold light but constant—guiding her timing, her posture, the cadence of her voice—while beneath it, she pushed back harder with every breath.
She was strong. Stronger than she had any right to be. And the Dark Abyss kept noticing. Which made it only worse and meant I had no intention of letting her out of my sight again. Ever.
Heather stepped forward first, clasping Nadine's hands warmly. "Be careful, her eyes flicked briefly to me. "Both of you."
"I will," Nadine replied automatically.
The words scraped inside her. I felt her anger spike, sharp enough to cut. She hated this. Hatedme. The pressure she brought to bear against my influence was fierce and intelligent, testing boundaries, probing for leverage. I tightened my focus. Just enough.
Daryus nodded once. "You have the Empire's trust, Dravok. Do not abuse it."
"I never do," I lied smoothly.
We turned toward the exit together. I kept my mental grip steady as the doors parted, guiding her steps, masking the internal storm long enough to clear the room. The moment we crossed the threshold, her resistance flared.Get out,she shoved at me, not with words, but with raw intent.Get out of my head.I staggered half a step before catching myself; shock rippled through me. She nearly broke free. My control wavered, and for the first time in eons, I had to reinforce a hold with conscious effort rather than instinct. Sweat prickled along my spine beneath my armor.
Frygg. She shouldn't be able to do this.
"Easy," I murmured aloud, for anyone watching. "We'll depart shortly."
Inside, I braced against her rising fury, layering restraint over instinct, dulling the spike without extinguishing it. Some reckless part of me did not want to crush her resistance entirely. I allowed the edge to remain. Allowed myself to feel it. By the time we reached the hangar, her anger burned hot and controlled, a storm compressed behind clenched teeth and rigid posture. She walked beside me in silence, eyes fixed ahead, every step deliberate.
I released her the instant my ship sealed behind us. She staggered half a breath as my influence lifted, sucking in air like someone resurfacing from deep water. Then she spun onme, hands fisted at her sides. Her eyes blazed. "You violated my mind."
The truth of it struck deep and stayed. "Yes. And you nearly stopped me."
Her laugh was sharp. Disbelieving. "Let me go." She stepped toward me instead of back. "Right now."
I felt the heat of her fury like a physical force. She was far more dangerous than she realized.
"I can't," I replied, keeping my tone level. "The Abyss noticed you. It isn't safe for you to remain on that ship."
Incredulity won the battle over anger for a moment. "TheAbyssnoticed me?" she repeated in a rising voice, adding a singsong I didn't like. "It's a fucking black hole." She took another step closer. "A gravitational singularity. An extreme curvature of spacetime. It doesn'tnoticeanything. It doesn'tthink, it doesn'tplot, it doesn'tkidnappeople." Her jaw tightened, and her finger rose, pointing at me. "Unlike you."
The words landed harder than her earlier accusation. But I didn't allow it to show. "You felt it."
"I felt gravitational distortion," she snapped. "And atmospheric pressure shifts. And whatever exotic radiation field your people still don't fully understand. That's not sentience. That's physics."
Why was this female so stubborn? Why couldn't she see or admit that there was more to the Dark Abyss than she allowed? I leaned forward, hovering above her, using my height to tower and, yes, intimidate her. "You were being registered."
