Page 136 of GlitchBorn Heart

“I’m aware.” I shut my eyes for a second, trying not to laugh. “You’re as bad as Ash.” I exhale. Honesty prevails. “This is what you do to me, Taiyō, I want you so badly I can taste it. Now go to sleep before I send you to his house for the night. You two can take turns being Captain Obvious.”

She giggles, and the sound warms my soul like sunlight hitting an iceberg that’s been frozen for years. It awakens something inside me I didn’t think existed anymore.

I hold her under the sheets, and for the first time it isn’t lust. It’s just her weight in my arms, flickering but real enough for me. My body knows this is obsession, but my mind starts to register something else: devotion. I’ve never had a reason to let anyone in; now I have one.

I can feel how fragile she is in my arms, how close she is to disappearing. And yet, she’s trusting me. Me, of all people. Kael Ryudon, the boy who learned to hack the world before it hacked him. The man who builds doors to other worlds but doesn’t know how to leave his own door unlocked.

She lets another giggle slip out as I press my length into her back. I tuck her closer, my voice rough at her ear. “Keep laughing, Taiyō. Keep feeling. As long as you do, you’re still human. And as long as you’re still human”—my fingers tighten at her hip—“I’ll get you out of this mess.”

“LINK—lights.” I command. Shit! Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. No need to ruin this perfect moment with a reminder of the threat she’s running from.

The lights dim until the black finally envelops us. The still quiet is a nice change to the hectic pace of my life outside these walls. Lyra wriggles into me, tugs the covers, tosses, then turns. I let go of her and roll to my side of the bed. I breathe out forcefully. “What is it now?”

“Kael...” she whispers. “I’m scared again. What if pulling me out doesn’t work? What if I come out empty? Or not at all. I can’t shake this bad feeling.”

She turns her face toward me in the dark. “I need you to tell me it’s going to be okay. I’m spiraling, and only you can stop it,” she says quietly.

That one hits me in the chest like a bullet. I know what’s at stake, how close she is to being another one of my creations. But I continue to lie to her. Because deep down, I fear the truth will shatter her. Protecting her from the pain is all that matters now.

I slide an arm under her neck and draw her against me, her body fitting into the curve of mine like I was made for her, even though she’s only light and projection. For a moment she feels so real, I forget she’s not yet human.

I press my lips to her hair. “Then stay right here,” I assure her. “This is the first time I get to really hold you, and I’m not letting go.”

She exhales, and tiny golden pixels take flight. The fight is finally draining out of her. And for the first time since this ordeal began, she closes her eyes and lets me hold her. Safe in my arms while the danger of the city glows outside the glass.

52

Father’sDaughter

Playlist: Innocente (DJ Tiesto Remix) - Delirium, Tiesto

Lyra

Kael and I enter the lab later than normal. It’s bright and cold inside, but for some reason everything looks clearer, feels warmer. I’m still carrying the comfort of last night inside me: the softness of his sheets, the solid weight of his arm draped across my stomach when I woke. It’s been quite some time since I’d opened my eyes next to someone and felt safe.

Rows of monitors flicker with data streams like vertical rain. Ember’s already here, hunched over her terminal with a cup of something steaming, probably TurboTea. Her copper hair is piled up in a knot; a stylus runs through the middle, so does a broken antenna from a cybernetic remote, holding it in place.

She glances up, looking at us above the rim of her cat-eye glasses. “Good morning...you two?” Her brows arch just enough to show surprise. I can tell she’d been expecting only Kael, not me following in behind him like a ghost. “I didn’t see anything in the logs about your holo-feed being transferred to the penthouse?” She looks panicked.

Kael doesn’t answer. He’s already moving like a swift ocean current, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, heading for the central bank of consoles. His fingers fly on keys, eyes flicking from screen to screen. His silence is a brick fortress of determination. Ember’s question bounces off it and dies.

I break the tension, stepping up to her desk with a smile. “Good morning. There’s been a little development. Right now, I’m probably not appearing in the logs.”

She blinks, then grins back. We exchange awkward glances and then a sudden giggle bubbles between us, like schoolgirls sharing a secret. She trusts that Kael will fill her in when needed. He moves to his office, door closed, screamy music turned up.

The lab is too quiet without him filling it with his presence. He’s sealed himself away again in his office, the frosted glass glowing faint with monitor light as his shadow moves back and forth. He’s probably relieved to have space from me. But I still feel watched, even when he isn’t in the room.

Ember breaks the morning calm first. She crosses her ankles on her chair and grabs the cup of tea, her fiery hair catching the pale light of the monitors.

She motions for me to pull up a chair. Ash is nowhere in sight, probably sleeping off whatever mess he happened into last night. For once, it’s just the two of us.

I sit, chin in my palm. I feel giddy, like I’ve gone back in time and it’s just me and my high school girlfriends on the beach, discussing boys, books, and makeup.

“So.” Ember folds her arms, tilts her head. “You and Kael. That’s a thing now, huh?”

I shrug. “I don’t know what this is exactly. It’s a thing we can’t control. He’s...confusing.” My cheeks flush. “I’m trying to learn to fully trust him.”

Her smile is sly, almost passing judgment. “That sounds a lot like love, Lyra.” She swivels in her chair, eyes bright like she’s been waiting for this. “What’s it like sleeping in Kael Ryudon’s bed? Is the sex steamy?”