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“Don’t move,” he says quietly. “Just lie back and relax. How did this happen to you?”

“I was attacked.”

“By whom?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t see anything identifying.” I look into his eyes, such a weird mirror image of my own. “How are you here?”

He shrugs. “It’s your mind. You tell me.”

“Are you real?”

“As real as you are.”

“What are you?”

He gives me an enigmatic smile. “Many things. Mostly concerned for you at the moment. Where are you?”

“I don’t know. Am I even alive? Last I knew I was drowning at the bottom of the ocean.”

“You are alive.” His eyes narrow. “What ocean?”

“How do you know I’m alive?” Two can play the answer a question with a question game. I haven’t forgotten Raiz’s response to knowing this person was in my head. I don’t trust that he’s actually concerned about me, whereas I know Raiz cares.

“We don’t have much time. Tell me, where you are.”

Eryx glances over his shoulder, as if someone is drawing his attention. It’s not Raiz, I’d know his presence anywhere.

“I promise you, I’m not trying to hurt you,” his voice implores me, what feels like sincerity infused into every word. “I’m trying to help you. Tell me where you are.” A muscle ticks in his jaw when he looks back over his shoulder.

“I’m not telling you anything until you tell me who you are.”

He moves his hand down to my jaw and runs his thumb under my lower lip. The movement is so attentive, so caring, for a moment I’m disarmed. I feel like he might be telling me the truth. Maybe he does just care about my safety.

But why would he? And if he did, why not be honest about who and what he is? The cagey responses don’t inspire trust. Especially when Raiz has earned my trust completely.

“You need to be careful, Neev. Remember that whoever has you, isn’t taking care of you the way you should be.” He stands and holds a hand out for mine. As he pulls me to my feet, I realize how tall he is. “I’m going to find you.”

* * *

The dim red backlighting of the med bay comes into focus as I open my eyes and look around. They must have had to bring me back on the ship to treat me. How did they even find my body? My fingers brush against something soft, and I realize with a start that it’s Raiz’s hair. His head rests on the bed near my hip while he dozes.

I don’t see Hyva or anyone else, so I run my fingers through the silvery white strands until he wakes. He blinks a few times and then looks up, realizing I’m awake. He straightens, wincing the slightest bit.

“Hi.” My voice is scratchy from disuse. “How long have I been out?”

“Three days.”

My brows shoot up. “Really?”

He nods and moves closer to me. “Hyva kept you sedated while he reset your broken bones and gave you a stimulant to speed healing.”

“Am I good as new?”

“I’ll go grab him,” is his response. He stands and looks down at me, relief easing the lines of tension on his face.

While he’s gone to find Hyva, my mind drifts to whether I had another episode or if it was just a dream, seeing Eryx again. I didn’t feel the panic or hear the whispers that usually coincide with it. Should I tell Raiz?

He was clearly concerned about me. Do I risk upsetting him further or just hold back until I figure out whether it was real?