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Cool air infused with antiseptic raised goosebumps on Rose’s arms.

She counted eight bed bays separated by mint-green screens that offered an illusion of privacy. A scrap of memory fluttered through her mind—sitting at her dad’s bedside, his hand loose in hers, the doctors discussing his chances of survival on the other side of a thin cotton screen as if she could not hear them.

Duke’s murmur drifted out, the words indistinct but his tone soothing.

The fabric screen around the nearest bed twitched, and Duke emerged. The white medical apron tied over his black t-shirt and cargo pants created an interesting visual, as if someone had tried to graft ‘healer’ onto ‘warrior’.

His reassuring smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Rose. Your sister’s the only one who’s awake. I think you might have better luck getting through to her than I have.”

Rose sucked in a breath, her lungs constricting as if the air had suddenly become too thick. She could do this. She had to do this. “Of course. Um... ”

Warm pressure at the small of her back startled her. Finn. His solid presence radiated quiet strength. His touch an anchor, grounding her amid chaos.

“Want some company?” The low rumble of his voice sent a quiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the room’s temperature.

“Yes.” The word came out as little more than a whisper. She cleared her throat, tried again. “Yes, that would be great. Thank you.”

Duke motioned them forward, tugging back the screen with a soft rasp of fabric on metal. The sound grated on her already frazzled nerves.

Thea lay propped up on the bed, surrounded by a nest of pillows. Her dark hair fanned out across the stark white sheets like ink spilled across paper. For a moment, Thea didn’t move, her gaze fixed on some middle distance, as if still lost in whatever dreams had gripped her during her period of unconsciousness.

Rose lowered herself into the orange plastic chair beside the bed, hyper-aware of Finn hovering behind her.

Duke’s polite cough broke the tense silence. “I have to check on the rest of the crew. A few minutes, that’s all—she needs to rest.”

Thea turned her head. Her eyes, so like Rose’s own, widened fractionally. Rose reached for her but Thea recoiled and tucked her hand beneath the sterile white sheet.

Deep breath. Okay, so it’s going to be like this. I can deal.

“Thea.” So wrong, but her sister’s name felt foreign on her tongue.

Thea’s blue eyes, familiar yet devoid of any warmth. “Rose. ”

Well, that was a start. At least Thea remembered who she was.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” Thea’s eyes never left Rose’s face, betraying nothing.

Rose laced her fingers in her lap. “Of course. That’s understandable given everything you’ve been through.”

A single wrinkle formed on Thea’s forehead. “What I’ve been through?”

“Can you tell us about what’s happened?”

“It’s been a very difficult time.” Thea’s voice was flat. Her gaze shifted, sliding past Rose to focus on Finn.

An unexpected flare of possessiveness ignited in Rose’s belly as her sister’s gaze raked over Finn’s powerful frame.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are.” Thea’s arched eyebrows demanded an introduction.

“Finn, Ma’am. Finn Jones. I’m part of the search and rescue team sent down when the Io went dark.”

“Search and rescue?”

Rose didn’t miss the sliver of skepticism, the hint of Thea’s sharp intellect peeking through the alleged fog.

“Something like that.” Finn lifted one shoulder, his expression casual.

Rose inhaled, steeling herself. “Thea, the Io has been dark for several days.”

Thea nodded slowly and pressed two fingertips to her temple as if she could dislodge the memories by physical touch alone. “Everything in my head is jumbled. I remember people being scared, but not why.” Some thing shifted in her expression and her gaze whipped up, instantly alert. “Should I be scared?”

The question hung in the air, loaded with implications.

Rose fidgeted, fighting the urge to sit on her hands to calm their tremble. “We’ve checked the habitat. There’s no evidence of forced entry.” She paused, weighing her next words carefully. “The habitat was sealed from the inside and the shuttle access sabotaged, blocking all normal routes. We had to dive the Dragon’s Breath lake to reach you. When we got here, you and your team were locked away in the biome. Not just locked, the doors were sealed shut. Can you tell us why?”

Thea didn’t miss a beat. “My team can be over cautious?—”

Over cautious. Some things never changed. Her sister was still a smooth liar. Muscles bunched in Rose’s jaw at the flimsy excuse.

“This isn’t over-cautious, Thea. Something is seriously wrong. We found your team unconscious and sealed into the biome. Do you remember anything?” Rose’s tone sliced through the air sharper than she intended, but the frustration of years of unresolved conflict bubbled to the surface.

Thea pressed her head deeper into the pillow. Cold anger gleamed in the blue depths of her eyes.

“This isn’t about me,” Thea snapped, her voice taking on a sanctimonious tone that set Rose’s teeth on edge. “My team is what matters. If they were scared enough to lock themselves away in the biome, then perhaps you should work out what happened there rather than sitting here interrogating me.”

Blood thudded across the backs of Rose’s eyes. “Thea?—”

Finn’s firm hand on her forearm stopped her short. “We’re just trying to get an idea of what happened. There are a lot of things that make little sense right now.” Finn’s tone was measured, his gaze locked on Thea. Was he trying to gain Thea’s trust, or was he annoyed at Rose for letting emotion cloud their fact-finding mission? Uncertainty gnawed at her.

“I’m sorry. I don’t remember.” Thea wiped her eyes, her voice suddenly vulnerable.

A show or something more genuine?

“Well, can you tell us what you were working on?” Finn asked.

“I told you I can’t remember. Everything is a horrible gray storm in my head.” Thea’s face crumpled. “Can you not appreciate how difficult this is for me?”

The shift was microscopic—blink, and you’d miss it. But Rose read her sister like a book, years of navigating sibling manipulation paying off. Thea was lying. She remembered her research but for reasons , didn’t want to talk about it. Whatever she and her team had been working on, it was dangerous enough for her to feign amnesia.

Rose’s nails bit into her palms. The urge to shake the truth out of Thea was unbearable. But as she opened her mouth to speak, she caught Finn’s warning glance.

His tone was diplomatic. “We appreciate the difficulties?—”

“I’d like to rest now.” Thea pressed her cheek into the pillow and closed her eyes. Like a door just slammed shut.

“Of course.” Rose pushed up from the uncomfortable confines of the plastic chair, its legs jarring against the floor with a screech. “Get some sleep. I’m sure you’ll feel better after some rest.”

The words tasted like ash in her mouth. She yanked back the screen surrounding the bed, the metallic rattle of hooks echoing her frustration.

Duke approached, concern denting his forehead. “Everything good?”

Rose’s nod was mechanical. The privacy provided by the screen was little more than a sham. Thea would hear every word she said. She chose her response carefully. “We’re finished, she’s resting now.”

She headed for the door, needing to be anywhere but here.

As the med bay door whooshed shut behind her, Rose sagged against the metal wall of the corridor, the cold seeping through her clothes and into her bones. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the world to stop spinning.

She didn’t need this crap right now, not while they were trying to piece together what had happened. The familiar anger at Thea’s betrayal years ago mingled with fresh frustration and a gnawing fear of what secrets lay buried beneath Thea’s convenient amnesia.

The door huffed again.

Get it together, Rose.

She pushed off the wall and turned.

Finn.

He caught her elbow and pulled her to him. Momentum carried her forward too fast, and she bumped against his chiseled body, her hands splayed across the packed muscle of his chest. He towered above her, dwarfing her with his bulk and stature. His gaze landed on her lips, the heat of his stare stealing the air from her lungs. Her mind reeled with forbidden thoughts. What would it feel like to kiss him?

“Hey. Where are you going?” His voice, infused with kindness, threatened to unravel the tight control she was desperately clinging to. Understanding too. Perhaps he understood how hard it was for her to be in the room with Thea .

Rose swallowed hard. ”To get some answers.”

She cast a last glance at the med bay door. Thea’s lying. “If Thea won’t give us a straight answer, we have to examine the research ourselves and figure out why she’s being so evasive.”