“Move away from him.”
The command sliced through the lab before I even realized I’d stepped forward.
My body froze.
That voice, low, controlled, familiar in a way that made my chest tighten, was wrong. Not distorted. Not mechanical. Just, wrong enough to make fear crawl under my skin.
Vorde’s hand tightened around mine. Not gentle. Not grounding this time.
Possessive.
“Veronica,” he said, but his tone wasn’t his. “You shouldn’t listen to it.” My pulse spiked. Pride clashed with fear. That is not him.
I yanked my hand free.
The figure standing ahead tilted its head slightly, watching me like it already knew what I would do next.
“You see it now,” it said softly.
“I see a parasite,” I shot back, forcing steel into my voice even as my fingers trembled. “And I’m about to cut it out.”
