I doubted that very much. But I kept the thought to myself. Because I understood something important: The Pandraxians were not weak. Not naïve. Not easily frightened. And if the Sythari truly came here, the universe was about to discover exactly what happened when two such empires collided.
Thyros finally spoke. “You still think we might hand you back.”
The low rasp of his voice slid across my nerves like heat over bare skin. Gods. I really needed to stop reacting to him like this. I looked toward him despite myself. Big mistake.
The man was watching me with that same unbearable intensity from yesterday, and his eyes caught mine enough to make my pulse stumble traitorously against my ribs. Not possessive exactly. Worse… certain. Like the part of him that had already decided I belonged to him was getting stronger.
“I think,” I said carefully, “that powerful civilizations tend to protect their own interests first.”
Understanding flickered across his face, which somehow unsettled me more.
“And what do you think we are?” he asked quietly.
The room suddenly felt too warm again. Too small. I became painfully aware of the dark gold shifting faintly beneath his skin, the restrained power in the way he held himself, the fact that every instinct I possessed screamed that this man was extraordinarily dangerous.
And still, my body leaned toward him anyway. Like a fool.
“I haven’t decided yet,” I answered.
His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth. Stars above. Heat instantly curled low through my stomach. The bond between us tightened sharply enough that I felt the jerk. Thyros’ jaw flexed once, like he felt it too. Probably did. Before the tension could combust into something deeply inconvenient, Nadine abruptly stepped forward with the energy of someone physically incapable of ignoring unanswered questions.
“Okay, but scientifically speaking,” she began, “the Earth situation is still deeply concerning.”
“So are you,” Thyros muttered quietly, looking straight at me.
My pulse stumbled traitorously at the sound of his voice. Gods. I really needed to get a grip on myself.
Nadine ignored us. “We know nothing about the Sythari,” she said bluntly. "Statistically speaking, that shouldn’t happen.”
Ashley sighed softly. “Here we go again.”
Nadine ignored her completely. “As I said yesterday, the universe is too interconnected. All expansion patterns overlap eventually.” She gestured between the Arkhevari and me. “Yet somehow, your civilization, the Pandraxians, and Earth all developed independently while still orbiting the same mythological figures.” Her expression turned deeply offended by reality itself. “That’s astrophysically absurd.”
“I understood some of those words this time,” Ashley offered.
“Thank you.”
Nadine pointed at me suddenly. “You reacted yesterday when Ella mentioned Ashera and Caelor.”
Silence settled instantly. I hated sharp people. Especially scientific ones.
“You’re chasing myths,” I replied carefully.
“And yet,” Thyros murmured, “you came to Earth.”
The low rasp of his voice slid straight across my skin again. I looked toward him slowly. He had moved closer to the bed, as if pulled in by gravity. His massive arms were folded across his chest, while darkness and gold shifted faintly beneath his skin like restrained power. Everything about him felt dangerous. Not simply physically. Existentially.
“Many beings come to Earth,” I replied evenly. “Apparently, it’s a very popular planet.”
“Not like you.”
The certainty in his voice irritated me immediately.
“You know nothing about me.”
His gaze locked fully onto mine.
“Then enlighten me.”
