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Revik bit his tongue, but again didn’t answer.

Dalejem sighed. “It will let us know how well this personsees,at the very least, will it not? If he is unable to identify her?”

Revik growled, “We have no reason to think he will buy her at all, Jem.”

Dalejem’s jaw hardened. It struck Revik that it was because he’d used the seer’s nickname. Dalejem hadn’t liked that, when they’d been together.

The realization brought a hard coil of fury to Revik’s light.

They weren’t together now. Fucking bullshit dramahere,more than thirty years after everything was over between them, in the middle of an op, with both of them in a Shadow city?when the fucker just put his wife’slifein danger.

When Dalejem next spoke, his voice was toneless, businesslike.

“Precisely my point,” he said. “If he buys your wife, despite her operating under an alias, it might give us some idea of his motivation and, perhaps even more importantly, his abilities.”

The seer’s mouth hardened in a frown as his gaze grew more penetrating.

“Brother,” he said, sharper. “You need to calm yourself. You assured us?youbothassured us?that you could handle this, despite the difficulties you are both experiencing with your light. If you cannot, you need to tell me?now?so that I and the others can adjust for that fact. Or pull you, if that ends up being necessary.”

Revik’s jaw hardened more. “I’d love to see you fucking try,” he muttered, staring out over the desert.

“Oh, I have no doubt at all that you wouldnotlove that,” Dalejem said. “I work for yourwife,brother. If I have to drug you and drag you out of here to keep you safe on her behalf?rest assured, I will. Without a second’s hesitation.” He paused, his stare colder. “Or would you really jeopardize this entire operation by using your light in inappropriate ways, brother?putting her inrealdanger?just to thwart me?”

Revik fought to control his light again, not answering.

His eyes picked up a glimmer of brighter illumination from the skyline, now heading swiftly towards them in a straight line.

The train.

The sharp light continued to aim directly for the platform as he watched, leaving the long row of skyscrapers and speeding high above shadowy sand dunes between the city and the pier. Revik focused on the city backdrop, taking in the rows of skyscrapers that cut dramatic spikes and towers into the night sky. The sharply colorful buildings and their holographic decorations lit up the darkness of the desert and ocean like something out of a virtual painting.

It all looked strangely silent from this distance.

“So what if this fuckercan’tsee?” he said finally, his voice still holding too much charge. “What if she’s bought by someone else?”

“Then we extract her, of course,” Dalejem said. “Without delay.”

Revik’s scowl returned.

Dalejem frowned back. “Brother,” he said, catching hold of his arm. “Trust me when I say this to you: neither I nor any of my people will allow anything to happen to your wife. Not if there is anythingwhatsoeverwe can do to keep her out of harm’s way. Do you understand me? We are willing to die to keep her safe. I was not lying to her, when I said my loyalty is entirely with her… and only by extension to you.”

Revik nodded. He fought to relax, to hear the other male’s words, but he couldn’t get the harder knot in his chest to unclench.

He trusted Dalejem.

He trusted Kali, too.

Neither of those things were enough to remove the impulse in his light that wanted to punch Dalejem in the face right then. Not only for handing Allie over. Not even for speaking about her like she was high-priced cattle to that vile specter of a seer on the dock.

Dalejem had his fucking hands on his wife.

He had his light in hers, enough to turn her on?and she’d been pulling on him with those damned Lao Hu structures of hers.

Revik understood the reasons. He knew Allie had her part to play, and that they hadn’t given her a lot of options. But he didn’t like it. He knew it was irrational, that his reactions stemmed at least partly from the problem he was still having with his light, and with hers.

He didn’t care.

“You should have let me do it,” he said, not looking over.