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“Don’t joke about who was handed to me,” Daven snarled. “Not you.”
Aviel choked as he clawed for air. When he looked up, the brown in his eyes was already bleeding into molten gold.
Daven watched the fire gather in his gaze and felt the air sharpen around his own fists. Bring it on.
He was ready for a fight. Anything to get rid of this maddening humming under his skin.
But before Aviel could unleash his fire, Theo jerked against the chain and slammed his palm into the wall hard enough to make the room jump.
“Stop!” The gold chain rattled. His skin had gone gray as he clutched at his chest. “Please. Stop.”
Aviel blinked, his usual cruel smirk replaced by worry. Then he unchained Theo from the wall and scooped him up into his arms. “We’ll come and say hi to Ryneth another time.”
Daven and the others watched them leave in silent bafflement.
“All right. To be continued, I guess.” Moargan glanced at Cyprian. “Happy?”
“Stop it,” Cyprian murmured. “Does he know yet where he is?”
Daven shrugged. “More or less.”
Kylix leaned forward, jaw tight. “All the prisoners were dosed with the same Attica compound we’ve been pulling out of the lower wards for weeks. That’s what makes this dangerous. We know Concordant took the shuttle. The question is Attica. Did they help, or are they just supplying them? My men are already running every security feed on Helion. If a single Attica mask shows up on a camera, we’ll have them.”
The room fell silent, the words hitting their mark.
If Concordant and Attica were working together, Helion didn’t have one enemy. It had two. And that meant no one on the planet was safe.
Daven fisted his hands, anger awakening the storm in him. Whatever hell Ryneth had been through had ended the moment he’d been brought here. Anyone who had laid a hand on him would answer for it.
Ryneth was under Daven’s protection now.
“All right.” He placed his empty glass on the table with a thud and straightened his collar. “Thank you for showing up to see the patient. I’ll let you know when Sleeping Beauty wakes up.”
He left the others there and headed straight for the medical wing.
Ryneth was awake.
Those silver eyes locked onto him the moment he stepped through the door. His hand tightened in the sheets like he was already bracing for another fight.
A dark thrill moved through Daven. Good. Let the static come for him. Let Ryneth fight. Let him lose.
It was time Ryneth started acting like the man in his care. And Good Light, Daven hoped he’d snarl. He wanted him furious. He wanted him fighting. Then he would make him yield.
Soon enough, they always did.
8
RYNETH
“What do you want?” Ryneth hated how broken his voice sounded, and it wasn’t all to blame on the hell he’d been through over the past days.
Daven terrified him.
The way the man came barging into his room like he had every right and didn’t stop until he was hovering over Ryneth. It made him feel cornered, and Ryneth didn’t do helpless.
On Düren, there was no space for that.
On Düren, helpless got you left behind.
