Tesa was sprawled out on the rocky beach, her purple uniform stained with dirt. Her face was flushed, her blue hair a mess, and she looked like she wanted to rip Melissa’s throat out.
Melissa bent over, gasping as she tried to catch her breath, sweat rolling over her forehead. “You Bonded one of those corrupted symbionts,” she panted. “Why would you do something so stupid?”
“I serve my people,” Tesa spat.
Standing up straight, Melissa squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “No,” she said. “The only thing you serve is an ideology of hate and cruelty. And now, you’ve let it destroy your life.”
Tesa sat up, grunting from the pain of her injuries. “That’s rich,” she said. “Coming from you. I could just as easily say you destroyed your life when you became a Justice Keeper.”
“My life w
