“Don’t move.” The voice wasn’t mine; it wasn’t Vorde’s either. It came from the system, calm, layered, almost gentle. And it was aimed at all of us. My fingers froze above the console. Not because I obeyed. Because something in my chest tightened so fast it stole breath from me. Fear. Real fear. Not for myself. For him. Vorde stood a few steps away, head lowered, hands shaking like he was holding something back inside his own body. Blood, no, not blood; light flickered under his skin like fractured code trying to escape.
Jealousy cut through me so suddenly it shocked me.
Not of the system. Of whatever still had its grip on him.
Because part of him was still reachable, and I wasn’t the one touching him anymore. That thought almost broke me. “You’re losing him,” Viole whispered behind me.
