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On the Sombra, Miral remained, shimmering, her new data manifolds throbbing with unleashed and unimaginable power beneath her skin.

SAVVINE

After the interrogation, Savvine marched beside Xander through the sleek corridors of the executive wing.

Their strides matched, yet every step reminded her how far apart they were now.

Xander glanced over at his XO, his rasp slicing through the quiet. ‘Santi? Seen Miral?’

The Sombra’s XO looked up from his comm tab at his desk, expression distracted. ‘Nada.’

Boaz passed by with a tablet pad tucked under one arm.

‘She’s in the secure call suite,’ he said.

Xander frowned. ‘Why?’

Boaz shrugged. ‘How the hell am I supposed to know?’

Then he exited, swallowed by the lift.

Xander exhaled as he and Savvine entered his office. ‘We’re flying blind until she updates us.’

Savvine, however, had her mind on other things.

She eyed Xander as he tapped on his holo comm to send a message to Miral.

She waited till he was done, his eyes meeting hers with an arched brow.

Her heart thudded so hard, her limbs so shaky, she thought her knees might give way.

Still, she kept her voice level, steady. ‘Xander, I need a private sidebar.’

Xander’s head turned. ‘Now?’

‘Naam, please.’

His eyes narrowed, trying to read her face, but she gave him nothing.

He studied her momentarily before turning heel and stalking toward his office.

She followed, her pulse roaring in her ears.

The door sealed behind them with a soft hiss.

Xander activated the privacy shield as he sat with one hip leaning on his desk.

Light shimmered at the room’s edges, cloaking them from the outside world.

‘What is it,mi reina?’ he asked, arms crossed over his sinewed chest. ‘Don’t sugarcoat it.’

Savvine aimed her gaze at the floor, staring at the tips of his polished boots. ‘For the duration of my stay, I’d like new quarters, please.’

He froze.

She sensed his breath ratchet into a heavy and thunderous cadence.

‘Thefokk? Why? You’ve seemed happy in mine last night.’