The line went dead a moment later, a flat click swallowed by the hum of his laptop. Elias stood there longer than he meant to, thumb still brushing the mark at his neck as if Ruo's words had branded deeper than Victor's teeth ever had.
Compatible with all of them.
Seven gods.
Perfect socket.
He pushed himself away from the glass, crossing back to the desk with swift steps. The chair squeaked under his weight as he sat, the screen's glow throwing cold light across his face.
The inbox waiting on his laptop was a mess of updates:Ashwin's mirrored reports, corporate summaries stamped with Numen's insignia, and drafts of research proposals he'd half abandoned when his life had been consumed by a man who didn't believe in asking. He stared at them, his hands idle on the keyboard.
Ruo's voice wouldn't leave his head. 'Tell me I'm wrong.'
He wasn't sure she was.
