Caius crossed the porch in four fluid strides, closing the distance so fast that Sera felt the air pressure plummet. A wave of intense cold rolled off his posture, the unmistakable biological feedback that always triggered whenever the silver bond spiked between them.
"What did she say?" His voice dropped an octave into the heavy, vibrating register she'd started calling his command voice. It wasn't directed at her. Not yet.
"Nothing you need to hear." Sera pressed the phone tighter against her ear, turning her back slightly to establish a physical boundary. "Rhea, say that again. Slowly."
"I said the appointment notification came through the registrar's emergency channel exactly an hour ago," Rhea reported, her words clipped and precise, as if she were setting down explosives. "A new n
