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“No,” I whisper, gathering him into my arms despite how his fever burns against my skin. “No, no, no. Stay with me. The mission’s over, remember? I promised. I promised after the mission...”

His eyes flutter open, crimson depths glazed with fever and pain. “Little hacker,” he manages, the words barely audible. “I’m sorry...”

“Don’t you dare,” I choke out, tears burning my eyes. “Don’t you dare apologize. Don’t you dare leave me. I choose you, understand? I choose us. Just stay with me long enough to complete the bond. Please...”

His wings twitch weakly, trying to curl around us one last time. “Always knew... you’d be worth... waiting for...”

“Then keep waiting,” I beg, pressing my forehead to his. “Just a little longer. Stay with me, Cirdox. I love you, you stubborn, noble idiot. I love you, and I won’t let you die.”

Chapter 16

Neon Valkyrie

TheVoidReaver’scorridorsblur past as I half-drag, half-carry Cirdox’s burning form, his wings dragging limply behind us. Each labored breath sends fresh waves of heat radiating from his fever-bright tribal markings.

“Medical bay’s ready,” Zara calls out, her red fur bristling with barely contained worry as she races alongside us. “We should—”

“No time,” I snap, my enhanced vision cataloging Cirdox’s deteriorating vital signs. “The bond-sickness is progressing too fast. Normal medical intervention won’t help now.”

Grig’s voice crackles through the ship’s comm. “Multiple vessels entering sensor range. Eclipse signatures. They’re pursuing.”

“Just keep them off us,” I growl, stumbling as Cirdox’s legs give out completely. His wings spasm violently, nearly knocking me over as another wave of fever tears through him. “How long until they’re in weapons range?”

“Seven minutes,” Grig reports, his usual calm wavering slightly. “Maybe less if they’ve modified their engines like the last group.”

“Get us out of here,” Zara commands, her voice steady as she helps support Cirdox’s other side. Though his fever-hot skin makes her fur bristle, her movements remain precise and controlled. “Grig, maximum thrust, evasive pattern delta.”

“Executing now,” Grig responds, his pale blue fingers dancing across the controls with characteristic efficiency. The Void Reaver’s engines surge to life, their familiar rumble a reassuring counterpoint to the chaos we’re leaving behind.

We’re cutting it close—I can feel it in the way Cirdox’s markings pulse with dangerous irregularity, in how each breath seems to cost him more energy he can’t spare. But with Zara coordinating our escape and Grig at the helm, I know we’ll make it. They’ve gotten us out of worse situations before.

Time to stop running from what’s been inevitable since the moment I stepped onto this ship. Time to trust not just Cirdox but the crew I’ve come to think of as our family.

Cirdox’s wings drag limply behind us, leaving trails of shed membrane that make my heart clench. The bond-sickness burns through him like fire, turning his tribal markings into a frightening display of erratic pulses—some areas barely flickering while others blaze bright enough to cast crimson shadows across the polished metal surfaces. My upgrades catalog his deteriorating vital signs with merciless precision, each new reading worse than the last.

“Stay with me,” I beg, my voice rough with emotion I can’t quite suppress. “Please, just hold on.”

His eyes flutter open, crimson depths glazed with fever and pain. “Lyra,” he manages, the words barely audible. “I’m sorry...”

“Don’t you dare,” I choke out, tears burning my eyes. “Don’t you dare apologize. Don’t you dare leave me. I choose you,understand? I choose us. Just stay with me long enough to complete the bond. Please...”

His wings twitch weakly, trying to curl around us one last time. “Always knew... you’d be worth... waiting for...”

“Then keep waiting,” I beg, pressing my forehead to his. “Just a little longer. Stay with me, Cirdox. I love you, you stubborn, noble idiot. I love you, and I won’t let you die.”

We make it to his quarters just as another spike of fever hits. He sinks onto the bed, his wings spreading limply across the sheets as the bond-sickness burns through his defenses. His tribal markings pulse erratically, some barely flickering while others blaze bright enough to cast crimson shadows.

“Tell me how to complete the bond,” I say, my fingers trembling as I unfasten his armor. Each piece that falls away reveals more of his fever-hot bronze skin. “I won’t watch you die when I can save you.”

His crimson eyes lock onto mine, dark with need and something deeper. “Blood exchange,” he growls, voice rough with restraint. “I drink from you, then you from me. The mixing of our essences creates an unbreakable connection.”

I pause in removing his chest plate, my heart thundering. “Will it hurt?”

“Yes,” he admits, wings shifting restlessly. “But the pleasure...” His markings flare brighter. “It transcends physical sensation. Creates a bond deeper than flesh.”

My hands still over the last clasp. “I’m scared,” I whisper, the admission costing me. “Not of the pain. Of letting someone this close. Of losing control.”

He catches my trembling fingers, pressing them against his burning chest where his heartbeat races beneath my palm. “Then we’ll face that fear together. No more running, little hacker.”