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‘That right, Sable?’

His gaze didn’t waver.

‘That’s true.’

She exhaled and pushed a hand through her curls.

Damn.

She could get high on this man, and just maybe his brand of addiction was what she needed.

Ki’REMI

A sound,nada, a muffled sob, drew Ki’Remi from sleep.

He shifted, his instincts waking him before his mind caught up. His meta-ink flickered with noid flashes as his body adjusted to consciousness.

The space beside him was empty, the sheets still warm.

His jaw ticked as he rose on one elbow, tilting his head and adjusting his neural hearing.

He heard her voice.

Soft, strained, not speaking to him.

He knifed up and out of the bed, feet hitting the cool floor, and moved toward the source of the sound.

His vast patio stretched over the night-cloaked city, the lights of Eden II shimmering below.

Issa stood at the edge, wrapped in nothing but one of his dress shirts, which was far too oversized for her. The sleeves were rolled up, and inside them, her arms hugged her torso.

A see-through lucid shield cocooned her, glowing.

He crossed his hands, staying in the shadows, watching.

He switched off his meta-hearing, refusing to listen in, cognizant of the need to give her privacy, yet he stayed, needing to understand why she was so upset.

A group of figures flickered on the projection, curved in a semi-circle around her.

Their expressions were tight with worry, and Issa tried hard to hold it together.

She sniffed, wiping at her eyes, nodding at something they said, her voice just above a whisper.

Ki’Remi was inundated with profound emotion, not pity or sympathy, just compassionate discernment because he understood what it was like to stand alone in the dark, shouldering burdens too heavy for one person.

The call ended, the holo winking out and vanishing.

She stood, her shoulders tense, arms wrapped around her middle, her gaze unfocused over the city.

Ki’Remi moved.

She jerked, startled when his heated clasp encircled her from behind, but she didn’t resist.

Instead, she sighed, leaning back into his solid presence.

He rested his chin on her head, his grip firm, steadying.

‘Your family?’