“Field One,” Nikos said. “Being prepped for Nomac.”
“And how do we get in?” Ryker asked.
“We don’t know,” Kat admitted. “We need you to question the security officer. She’s refusing to give up the final piece.”
His smile turned cold. “Finally,” he said. “Something I’m good at.”
The memory fractured, and Audrey was flung back into her body, limbs burning as she gulped air, disoriented. Reality dragged behind her mind, leaving her shaken and raw. She could hate him later; right now, she needed control and a way to use Ryker to reach her sister before he could claim her for himself.
Ryker’s violence was barely leashed as he prowled toward her. “You think you can break into my head and walk away?” he snarled, inches from her face.
He studied her differently now. Like something with edges that could hurt and maim.
Killing her would solve nothing. Training her might change everything.
Fear and heat at his thoughts roared—as raw and hot as his aura. Would he feel the same if he knew how lost she truly was?
A chittering, inhuman sound rose in Audrey’s throat in answer. In return, he mumbled a few phrases in a tongue she didn’t know. Electricity spidered through her bones.
Then he struck, entering her mind even more painfully than before. He was out for blood this time, and she couldn’t speak, could barely breathe as he tore through her memories. She expected more taunting from him, but he was silent, taking without mercy.
As soon as it began, it was over. “Ahh,” he whispered. “I get it now.”
“Get what?” she demanded, rubbing at her temples, trying to fortify her mental shield again.
“I get why Mihail threw everything away for you.” Ryker’s eyes burned with opportunity. “You’re not valuable because you’re Sophia’s daughter. You’re valuable because your mind does not fracture where it should. You kill by instinct, adapt in the moment, and recover faster than anyone with your training level has a right to.”
She bit her lip against the maelstrom of emotions she felt hearing his conclusion. Was it horror or pride twisting inside her?
“Most people with unstable triad expression burn out, break, or turn feral before they can be shaped. You didn’t. You survived prison. You survived suppression. You survived Sophia. And when I pushed into your mind, you pushed back hard enough to wound me.”
Vindication flickered—a slim hope that she was more than broken. But shame chased it, caught up with the memory of what she’d done. Biting back words, she struggled not to recoil from his violent clarity.
His mouth curved, but there was no warmth in it. “That makes you more than a hidden asset. Since Sophia is dead, and this wasn’t one of Mihail’s misplaced ideas,” he said, “I won’t kill you. Yet.”
“I thought I was nothing.” Her lip curled in disdain.
“I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong.”
She was necessary, so he wasn’t going to kill her.
He circled her slowly, eyes predatory—reassessing, deciding if she was still prey or something else entirely. “I want to make a deal,” Ryker said.
Audrey would be a fool not to hear him out. “I’m listening.”
“Help me rescue Mihail,” he said. “And Cary remains untouched.”
Protectiveness ripped through her. “Why should I believe you?” she snarled. “Do you even know where Cary is?”
His stare softened, but with a dangerous possessiveness. He brushed a wild curl off her forehead with a tender yet claiming touch. “No,” he said, voice velvet over steel. “But I’m very good at finding what I want next.”
The second triad, if she exists.
Audrey bared her teeth. “If you touch her?—”
Before she could finish, he closed the distance—their breath intermingling and danger vibrating between them. “You’ll kill me? Sweet girl...you don’t even know what I am.”
She wanted to tear him to pieces just as badly as he wanted to break her. Her aura struck harder than before, but this time, he was ready. He managed to keep her out, although the strain showed on his creased brow. “You’ve made a serious mistake,” he gritted out. “No one enters my mind without consequences.”
