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Had the buyer been lurking as well? He hadn’t contacted him again after that message, but Ryneth felt his presence constantly, like phantom fingers still reaching for him, and the worst part was that he no longer knew if the buyer belonged to Attica, Concordant, or some other nightmare hiding between them.

He wanted to beg Daven to protect him, because Daven had promised. He wanted to scream at him for destroying the one defense mechanism that had kept him alive, for making him this weak, this emotional, this desperate to climb into his lap for the exact same reason.

The wanting made him sick, but heat kept climbing under his skin.

Across from him, Kylix was snarling through his multi-slate. When he flicked his gaze to Helianth, he found him already staring at him.

“Are you all right?”

Ryneth shrugged, but really… he felt terrible. What time was it anyway? He just wanted to go back to his bed and sleep for the rest of his life.

“Did Concordant depart?” someone asked.

“They did, but we have reason to believe they didn’t leave Helion.” Helianth’s amethyst gaze intensified as he kept staring at Ryneth. “When she gave you the chip, did she say anything else? Anything that could help us?”

“No.” Ryneth stared at his hands. He could still feel the phantom heat of Lysa’s jacket under his fingers, the vibration of the tubes that should have killed them all. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her walking away, her silhouette swallowed by darkness. She had been so calm. That was the part eating him alive. The calm of someone who knew she was already dead. “But she said she couldn’t come with me.”

“They won’t let her go, Ryneth.” Helianth’s voice was quiet.

“Why not?” The question left him before he could stop it.

“Because they’re not done with her. Or with us.” Kylix’s mouth hardened.

Helianth lifted the holochip, blue light flashing across the dark cabin.

“We knew Attica was operating on Helion,” he said, turning the chip between his fingers. “But I don’t think any of us realized how established they already were, or how deeply they’d rooted themselves here.”

Kylix reached over and snatched the chip from his hand. “And that’s exactly why they handed it over,” he snapped. “They didn’t do it to help us. They did it to rat Attica out and watch what we do next.”

Ryneth frowned. “Why?”

Kylix’s jaw tightened as he turned the chip over in his fingers. “I don’t know yet. But if Concordant just snitched on the people who helped them onto Helion, then they’re either trying to fuck Attica over… or setting us up to do it for them.”

“My thoughts exactly. Publicly, they’re giving us proof against a rival,” Helianth said. “Quietly, they’re building a reason to stay in our skies.”

Kylix stared down at the chip in his palm, his jaw tight. “We use what they gave us. We cut Attica out first, then we figure out what Concordant is really hiding.” He let out a tired breath, then gave them a humorless half smile. “Let’s get you two home. Then take me straight to Luminary headquarters. I want this processed tonight.”

The driver’s voice came from the front. “Understood, sir. Mirel is already waiting for you there.”

“Mirel? He should be sleeping,” he murmured, almost to himself. For one brief second, Kylix went still, something in his face softening before it was gone.

Light, Daven had been right. The head of the Luminary was moody and a little intimidating, if Ryneth had to be honest.

Kylix slumped back in his seat, already tapping something into his multi-slate. “You did well tonight, Ryneth. If anything comes back to you later, tell us.”

“I’ve told you all I know.” Ryneth looked outside once again. He could still hear Lysa’s voice in his mind. She’d sounded… defeated. Had she been bought as well? And his own buyer… would he still come looking for Ryneth? Or would he stay away if he knew he was protected by the Luminary?

Protected…

Ryneth scoffed at the hopeful thought. It was hope, and hope was dangerous. He’d been the leverage point, that much was sure. The reason Concordant had bothered to speak. And now that they were done with him for the night, they’d handed him right back to Daven.

The worst part was that some traitorous part of him no longer knew if that should have terrified him… or relieved him.

Daven.

Just the name made his stomach flutter and his skin hum. He placed a hand on the other man’s thigh, soaking in the heat that radiated off his skin. Daven was always so warm. So strong. So sure of himself. Even now, he could practically hear the satisfaction in the way Daven placed his own, larger hand over Ryneth’s.

It made Ryneth feel seen in a way he’d never been in his life. It made him want to crawl into his large bed and curl up against the other man.