(There is an obscene amount of sexual content in this chapter, please if you're not into it, skip it)
Bright sat on the edge of his cot, staring at his hands.
They were steady. Strong. Enhanced by the body core he'd absorbed weeks ago.
But they felt empty.
Like they should be holding something—a blade, a purpose, something—but there was only air.
Hailen was dead.
The thought kept circling back, relentless, grinding against the inside of his skull like a blade on a whetstone.
He taught me how to survive. And now he's gone.
A soft knock came at the door.
Bright didn't move. "It's open."
The door creaked, and Mara stepped inside, closing it quietly behind her.
She looked different in the dim lamplight—softer somehow, without her blades strapped to her sides. She wore a simple tunic and loose pants, her hair down instead of tied back for combat.
She had changed a lot from the timid girl she once was in the squad assigned to him.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"Hey."
