Silence followed.
Heavy.
Charged.
Emily stared at Kael. “I’m sorry—adapting how, exactly?”
Kael let out a short breath, like she didn’t have time to explain properly.
“Your energy signature changed,” she said. “When you stabilized it.”
“I gathered that.”
“That made you unpredictable,” Kael continued. “They don’t like unpredictable.”
Theodore’s voice cut in.
“They correct for it.”
Kael finally glanced at him.
For the first time—
She reacted.
Recognition.
Not friendly.
“…You,” she said quietly.
Theodore’s expression didn’t change.
“You are familiar with my kind,” he said.
Kael’s jaw tightened. “More than I’d like.”
Emily looked between them. “Okay, pause—do you two know each other or—”
“No,” they both said at the same time.
She blinked. “That feels like a lie.”
“It is i
