The Queen's gaze was sharper than any blade.
Even without her weapons, her presence filled the room like gravity.
"You've changed, Lala," she said.
Not angry. Not accusing.
Just… certain.
I tightened around my host's waist beneath her clothes, feeding a slow wave of reassurance through her spine.
Let me speak, I whispered in the private channel between us.
Lala hesitated… then nodded imperceptibly.
"My changes are my own, Mama," she said aloud, her voice steady. "I'm stronger now. More aware."
The Queen's eyes flicked toward me—no, through me.
Her instincts were keener than Peke's sensors.
"I can feel it," she murmured. "Something alive on you."
I didn't flinch. Instead, I let my surface ripple slightly, visible only to her alien perception.
A silent admission.
Yes. I'm here.
She didn't move closer, but her expression shifted from suspicion to… curiosity.
"Do you protect her?"
"Yes," I answered, my voice projected so only her enhanced hearing caught it.
"And if I told you to leave?"
Lala gripped her mother's hand. "I wouldn't let him."
The Queen's lips curved—just slightly.
"That's dangerous loyalty, daughter. Dangerous… but useful."
Her gaze lingered on me for another long second before she straightened.
"Very well. I'll allow this… for now. But if you turn against her—"
"I won't," I said before she could finish.
Not because she threatened me.
But because it was the truth.
She left without another word, but the weight of her presence stayed behind.
Lala exhaled. "That… went better than I thought."
She's not convinced, I told her. But she's willing to watch. And while she watches… we grow stronger.
I pulsed softly against her heartbeat, letting my influence sink deeper.
Because even queens can be claimed.