Page 14 of Thexan

“That buys us a little time,” she said.

“It does,” I replied.

“Not much.”

“No.”

She let out a slow breath, her gaze dropping briefly to where our hands met before lifting again, the shift in her expression marking the point where observation gave way to conclusion.

“They’re coming for you,” she said.

“Yes.”

“And if they find you here—”

“They will not stop with me.”

She held my gaze, the weight of that settling fully into her understanding now, no longer a possibility but a certainty she had chosen to accept.

“No,” she said quietly. “They won’t.”

The implications of that moved through the space between us without needing to be spoken further. Her settlement, my enemies, the connection between us—all of it converging into a situation that allowed for no simple resolution.

Brynn’s grip tightened slightly around my hand, not enough to restrict movement, but enough that I felt the intent behind it, the decision settling into place with quiet finality.

“Then we don’t let them find you,” she said.

The statement was simple, but it carried the full weight of what she was choosing to stand against.

I studied the resolve beneath her words. She understood only a fraction of the threat, yet she had already placed herself in its path and refused to retreat.

“You place yourself in direct conflict with forces you cannot match,” I said.

“I place myself between my people and something that wants to hurt them,” she replied, her tone steady, unyielding. “That’s not new.”

I could see that clearly enough in the way she held herself, in the absence of hesitation where most would have faltered.

That did not make it survivable.

I held her gaze, aware of the way my system had settled further in her presence, the instability no longer dominating my awareness, the control I required returning in measured increments as the connection between us remained intact.

“You do not understand what is coming,” I said.

“Then you’re going to explain it to me,” she replied.

The expectation in her voice was absolute, leaving no room for refusal without consequence.

I considered withholding the rest. Less knowledge might once have meant less exposure, but that calculation had already failed. Leaving her ignorant now would only leave her unprepared.

That was no longer acceptable.

“The ones tracking me operate under Severance Directive,” I said. “The unit assigned is Talon Cell.”

“That’s oddly specific for something you said you ‘didn’t know how close’ was.”

“I know their designation. I do not know their current position.” His jaw tightened fractionally—the closest he came to something like old grief. “I know their faces. Their names. I trained beside three of them.”

Brynn went still. “They’re not just soldiers. They’re people you knew.”