Page 35 of Bonds of Starfall

Again.

Again…

And again.

Each shock, Auren felt in his bones.

Auren leanedover the simple sink in the hospital bathroom, hands braced on the edges as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Rogue blood still stained his clothes. Shadows were under his eyes. He felt like he had aged a thousand years—if he could age.

Vesperin was finally stable. She had been moved to a normal hospital room. He had spent two hours sitting by her side, watching the rise and fall of her chest, so scared that each one was her last. He just… needed a minute alone.

It was a lot to find her after so many centuries of waiting, and she was not the girl he remembered. Far from it.

He turned the tap on, cupping his palm under the cold water and splashing it on his face.

Just as he started for the door that led to her room, he heard footsteps and an urgent voice:

"My god, Vesperin. Please. You’re okay, you’re okay?—"

A man. His tone was hushed, as if scared to wake her up.

Auren paused, a hand hovering over the knob.

"My love, I am so sorry. If… if only I knew sooner. I came as soon as Katri called." A moment of silence. "I got so upset with her when she didn’t call immediately. She did not want toworryme, told me I had been in surgery for hours and had just clocked out, said I needed the rest." A sardonic laugh. "As if I even rest.All I’ve done since you entered the Academy is worry and lose sleep over you. You vexing girl."

It grew so quiet, Auren wondered if the mystery man was still there—but the soft ringing of a phone and a quiet curse let him know he was.

The ringing cut off. "Hello." A long stretch of silence. "Yes. I’m here with her now. She’s… sleeping. I don’t know what happened. She arrived here after the mission at Nova Zone 21. They said aSoul Searcherbrought her here." His tone was colored with disbelief.

Auren was glad he had not left his scythe by her bedside, but kept it near him at all times.

"No, I understand, Talor. I will figure out if she experienced a Pulse. The Nova inside her is not interacting with her Stella like the other subjects. She’s surpassed their life expectancy by years now. Something is different with her."

Who was this man, and what was he speaking of?

Concern rippled through Auren.

"It could be attributed to the phenomenon of the Nova being infused into her heart after the accident. But that raises the question of artificially implanting the Nova into Aetherborns, and if what Blackfall Industries is doing is even worth it…"

Auren felt the blood drain from his face. Artificially implanting Nova. It sounded like what he had overheard in the darker spaces of his network.

People and facilitiesexperimentingwith Nova.

Experimenting with people, crafting weapons with it. Some places in Lunar City even made drugs from it. Straining parts of Nova through a very detailed process, until Nightshade was created. The street drug ran rampant on the streets in the bad parts of the city.

"I will get back in touch as soon as I know more. Yes, sir."

Then, the air was quiet once more.

Auren heard the softest of sounds, like a stifled cry. "I will keep you safe, Vesperin. I swear it."

Then, the creaking of a chair, footsteps retreating, and the quiet snick of a door as it closed.

Auren opened the bathroom door, finding Vesperin still and peaceful. The oxygen tube had been removed, and the machines beeped steadily. She was safe, and he had someone to track down.

Lucien Quenlan hated himself.

He held his head in his hands, leaning over the desk in his office.