She switched angles.
"I'm the Emperor's matched mate.Harming me is an act of war under the Terran-Lathar alliance.You understand what that means, right?It's not just me.It's every human colony, every outpost, every ship flying under Earth's flag.You touch me, and you drag your entire species into a conflict they didn't ask for."
The guard on her left almost smiled.
Which was worse than the silence.That smile said he'd heard it all before, and he didn't care.None of them did.
Her stomach dropped.
The corridor angled downward, sloping deeper into the asteroid's core.The temperature dropped with it.Her breath came in short, visible bursts now, and her fingers were going numb.Number.Great, just great.
They turned a corner, and the corridor opened up.
The room was circular and seamless.The walls curved up into a domed ceiling, maybe twenty feet overhead, all of it the same smooth, grey metal that caught the light and threw it back.It looked like something out of an old medical horror holo-film.
In the center of the room sat a table.
Not a table.An operating table.Its surface gleamed under the overhead lights.Restraints hung open at the wrists, ankles, across the chest—thick, padded cuffs.Her heart was hammering, her pulse loud in her ears, drowning out the conversation of her guards.
She couldn't look away from the restraints.
"No."The word came out small.She cleared her throat and tried again, louder."No.No way.I'm not getting on that."
The guards didn't respond.They just walked her forward, their boots ringing on the metal floor, and her legs moved with them even though every instinct screamed at her to dig in and stop.
A door on the far side of the room hissed open, and Korrait stepped through.
He wore the same dark shirt and pants as he had on Devan station.Unless his entire wardrobe was identical, it was still the same day.
His black hair was pulled back from his face now, highlighting the sharp angles of his cheekbones and the unsettling brightness of his orange eyes.
He smiled when he saw her.
His smile wasn't cruel.It was warm, genuine...like a friend greeting someone he'd waited for.The gesture tightened the knot of dread in her chest.
"Emily."Her name sounded wrong in his mouth."Thank you for coming."
She barked a laugh, sharp and bitter."I didn't exactly have a choice."
"Didn't you?"He tilted his head, studying her like she was a puzzle he was enjoying."You chose to leave the Emperor's side.You chose to walk into that cargo bay.Every step that brought you here was a choice you made."
Her jaw clenched."You had Lucy's sister."
"We had leverage," he corrected gently."And you had options.You could have stayed.You could have gone to your guard."He stepped closer, hands clasped loosely behind his back."But you didn't."
She wanted to spit in his face.Tell him he was wrong.That she'd been trying to save Raaevik, not running from him.But the words stuck in her throat.He was right…
"You're the most important person in this galaxy right now," Korrait said."Do you understand that?"
"I understand you're out of your fucking mind."
He smiled wider."Perhaps.But I'm also right."
He gestured toward the table.It was a small, polite invitation… like he was offering her a seat at a dinner party."If you'd be so kind."
"Nope.I'm not getting on that table."Her voice was steadier now.Good.The rest of her was shaking, but at least her voice held."You'll have to drag me."
Korrait's expression didn't change.
