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“And mine,” Revik growled, sharper.

I conceded the point, biting back a more flippant response. I knew none of the high-level Adhipan fully trusted any of the ex-Rebel seers. Particularly those seers whose light had been sculpted by Menlim personally.

Jorag was one of those seers.

In through the out door…

Was that what Feigran meant? Was he warning me about the ex-Rebels?

I kept the thought quiet, hidden behind a shield.

“So… what?” I exhaled sharply when he still hadn’t spoken. “You keep the old lady locked in a closet for the next however-many years? Then what? A shiny new GPS bracelet with shock-capability to knock me out if I get outside of your comfort zone?”

When Revik still didn’t speak, or even look at me, I gripped his hair in my free hand, shaking him lightly to get his eyes to turn.

“Maybe a nice collar?” I said softer, using my light to pull on him. “Like they put on dogs? Or does that turn you on, too?”

He didn’t answer.

Looking at him, I realized I had to bite the bullet.

I had to tell him.

“Anyway.” My voice grew cautious as I caressed his collarbone. “There’s no guarantee that anyplace is safe, Revik. Not really.”

Feeling my face tighten, I shrugged, avoiding his eyes.

“You can’t really get mad at them,” I went on carefully. “Jorag and Balidor and the others, they were just doing their job. They came in here because…” I hesitated, watching his face. “Well, really, because the breach alarm went off…”

I was already talking faster.

“…In here, I mean. Only in this part of the tank. He didn’t get anywhere near Lily, or any of the others. And he claimed he was on his own. Terian, I mean… he said it was just him. He must have figured out how to hack into the computer network, and…”

Feeling Revik’s whole body tense, even as his expression abruptly darkened, I spoke even faster, talking over the explosion I could see growing behind his eyes.

“…It wasvirtual,Revik. Just virtual, okay?” I felt the muscles of his shoulder harden to rock. “‘Dori tells me he didn’t get near the construct of the tank compartment…anyof the tank compartments. He didn’t get near Lily. Or Maygar. None of the alarms went off in either of their cells, or in Cass’s. Terian claimed he just wanted to talk to me, that Shadow wasn’t involved. Of course that’s total bullshit, but he really acted a lot more likeFeigranthan Terian.” Thinking about that, I shook my head. “It was pretty weird, actually. It seemed like…”

Revik was climbing off me.

I trailed, watching him regain his feet, feeling my throat tighten as he leaned down to yank his shirt off the floor. His light retreated behind one of his bunker-like shields.

His face had gone entirely blank.

I frowned, watching as he tugged the shirt over his head, twisting it around to shove his arms through the sleeves. He yanked it down his back with one hand as he fumbled in his pocket for a headset. Fitting the mechanism over his ear, he activated it, or must have, since I saw the light glow, right before he walked over to the table where he’d set the breakfast tray.

He buckled his pants and belt.

I saw his irises blur, indicating either sub-vocals, or––

I flinched, feeling his light wrap suddenly and invasively around mine. I didn’t feel much of him in that, either.

I felt him ask me, though not very warmly.

Realizing what he wanted, I opened, letting him have it.

He pulled every fragment of my interaction with Terian from my light. He took all of it, without so much as a single question to me beyond asking if he could do it.

His light retracted the instant he was done. I watched in disbelief as it reconfigured behind a dense shield.