Selene’s fingers shook as they curled tighter around the detonator. She stared at it, like maybe if she looked hard enough, it would turn into something, anything other than what it was. Something easier. Something that didn’t weigh as much as an entire world balanced on a heartbeat.
Darius was slumped against the medical bay wall, blood drying on his cheekbone. One eye was swollen, almost sealed shut, his breathing uneven, every inhale sharp with pain, but his eyes stayed locked, steady, like he refused to give the hurt any ground.
“I’m not letting you do this,” he said.
Selene’s jaw tightened. “They’ll kill them.”
“They’ll kill me.”
“I know.”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “Then make it count.”
Across from them, Mireille smiled softly, as if they were discussing something unremar
