“I speak like they’re people,” Mallack growled. “And I didn’t come to this war to become the monster I was fighting.”
Something in me froze. I didn’t care about politics. I never had. Whoever wore the seal, whoever called themselves susserayn, it didn’t change the price of bread or the way I had to barter for fabric scraps. People like me didn’t have sides. Just stomachs. And mothers to keep alive.
But Mallack was different. It was obvious that he cared. He didn't have to; he was powerful enough not to. But he did. He was standing in the center of a city that hated anybody affiliated with Kennenryn, and he was speaking forus. My stomach knotted and fluttered at the same time. This male was so different from everything I had ever heard or learned about the vissigroths; he intrigued me on a new level.Zyn, he was just as brutal and ferocious as I had expected the masters of the planets to be, but he was also thoughtful and deliberate—measured in a way that made you feel the weight of every word he spoke. There was control in him, but it wasn’t cold. It was purpose. Discipline forged from conviction.
He didn’t demand loyalty with threats. He earned it with presence. With patience. With the impossible gentleness in the way he sometimes looked at me, like I wasn’t another duty to be managed but a choice he would keep making, over and over.
And it terrified me.
Because the more I watched him, the more I wanted to understand the kind of love that didn’t need to prove itself with violence or submission. The kind that just was.
Unyielding. Steady.
Like a flame that refused to die.
And gods help me… I was starting to wonder what it would feel like to step into that fire.
This wasn’t the same man who handed me food in silence. This was something more. The more I got to know this male, the more I wanted to know. Lately, seeing him had begun to do odd things to my body. Things I was too afraid to put into words or ask my mother about.
Awakening came slowly. I didn't want it to come at all. I knew already that the moment I opened my eyes, the moment I was fully awake, all those memories would be gone again. I didn't want that. I wanted to keep them, hold them. But like smoke, they were already beginning to drift, as I stirred against something warm and solid. Not something—someone.
My lashes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was the curve of Mallack’s jaw above me, his gaze locked somewhere beyond, stern and unreadable. My cheek rested against his bare chest, one of his arms wrapped firmly around my back, the other supporting my thighs. It felt so good that even the loss of the memories I had had for such a short time didn't bother me. Because I was making new ones.
Until I realized we weren’t alone. People surrounded us. A handful of workers in dust-streaked uniforms, a tall Leander male I didn’t know, and a human seffy with her dark hair half-loose from a bun, smudged goggles hanging around her neck. They were all staring. Or trying very hardnotto stare.
I stiffened. “Put me down,” I whispered, mortified.
Immediately, he did, with the ends of his mouth twitching. “You fell asleep,” he said softly enough for only me to hear. “I wasn’t going to leave you on the nicta.”
I swayed a little but managed to stand on my own. My limbs felt stiff from sleep, but the fresh rush of embarrassment was enough to chase the worst of the fog from my head.
“Daphne,” he said, drawing attention back to the others, “this is Claudia from the Cosmic Coalition—an advisor on the magrail—and Tovahr, the site foreman. This is my mate, Vissy Daphne.”
“Pleasure,” Claudia offered with a tight smile. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright. She was practically vibrating. “Sorry to wake you like this, but we found something. Something… well, you’ll want to see.”
Mallack gave a low grunt. “I’ll go down.”
“Ney,” I disproved quickly, surprising even myself. “I want to see it too.”
He turned to me. “You just came out of a battle. You haven’t eaten. You need to rest.”
“So do you,” I countered, my jaw set. I didn't know why I was arguing with him. I wasn't even sure where we were or where we were going, but somehow, I had a feeling I was right where I was supposed to be. That notion unsettled me.
Mallack didn’t look like my argument convinced him. But he didn’t fight me on it. “Fine,” he said at last. “But you stay close.”
Tovahr nodded and motioned for us to follow. “We rigged a lift for hauling debris. It’s stable enough for two, maybe three. The chamber is several hundred paces down.”
I walked beside Mallack, careful to keep my posture tall even as my nerves fluttered in my stomach. Whatever these people had uncovered… it was important. I could feel it vibrating in the air, humming under the soles of my boots.
Mallack helped me into the lift. It was a frightening contraption, and once the door sealed, I felt buried alive. He put his arm around me, "Easy."
"I'm fine," I told him. My heart was beating a little harder than usual, but I wasn't sure if it was from being in this… coffin, or if it was because he was so close. So close I could feel his warm breath against the back of my head.
"Are you sure?" I heard the doubt in his voice and looked up.
"Positive, why?"
"You used to be afraid of… tight spaces," under the artificial light, shadows danced over his aqua skin as his brows knitted.
