“That was yesterday.” His grip tightened fractionally. “Today, you have a choice. Wear the bracer and come with me. Or stay here, useless, while I decide if your defiance is charming or just irritating.”
Elsa met his gaze, searching for give. And found nothing but cyan ice and certainty.
Her mind raced. The core. The wreck site. Her escape pod—which she knew better than anyone, including exactly where the navigation systems would be housed. Where the power core would be integrated.
Leverage. Information. The only currency she had.
But wearing his mark meant surrendering something fundamental. Meant accepting the collar even if it was disguised as jewelry.
“What do I get out of this?” The question came out steadier than she felt. “If I wear your brand. If I lead you to the core. What doIget?”
Sylas’s expression shifted. Surprise flickering across his features before calculation took over. “You get to live. That’s not enough?”
“It’s the baseline.” Elsa forced herself to hold his stare. “You already decided to keep me alive when you called me your pet. So that’s the default, not a reward.” She lifted her chin. “I’m asking what I get for cooperating. For making this easier for you instead of fighting every step.”
His muzzle pulled into something between a grin and a snarl. “Brave. Stupid. But brave.”
“Pragmatic,” she corrected. “You want something from me. I want something from you. That’s how negotiations work.”
“This isn’t a negotiation.” His claws pressed lightly against her wrist, not breaking skin but close. “You’re in no position to bargain.”
“Then kill me.” The bluff rose before she could stop it. “Because if I’m just property with no agency, no rights, no ability to improve my situation through cooperation—” She swallowed hard. “Then what’s the point? I’d rather die defiant than live as a broken thing.”
Silence crashed through the chamber.
Sylas’s eyes narrowed, studying her with an intensity that made her skin prickle. His grip on her wrist remained steady, but something shifted in his posture. Consideration replacing immediate dominance.
“Protection.” The word rumbled low. “You wear my mark, you cooperate, you help me find that core—I protect you from the Fallen.”
“The Fallen are already a threat. That’s baseline too.”
His growl vibrated through her bones. “Fromeverything. The court. The rivals who’d use you against me. The males who’d see you as easy prey.” His free hand lifted, claws tracing the air near her throat without touching. “From every creature in this fortress who’d hurt you to prove a point about my judgment.”
Elsa’s pulse hammered. “That’s still just protection. Just keeping your property intact.”
“What do you want?” The question came out harsh, frustrated. As if her continued resistance genuinely baffled him. “Name it. If it’s within my power and doesn’t undermine my authority, I’ll consider it.”
She hadn’t expected that.
Her mind scrambled. Whatdidshe want? Freedom—but that wasn’t negotiable. A way home—impossible. Safety for the other humans—maybe, but that might be pushing too far.
“Information.” The answer surfaced from instinct. “About this place. Your people. The technology. The politics.” She met his gaze. “You keep me in the dark, I’m useless beyond what I can tell you about the pod. But if I understand how things work here—”
“You become more valuable.” Sylas finished, comprehension dawning. “Clever female.”
“I’m a navigator. My job was always about understanding systems. Routes. How pieces fit together.” Elsa’s voice steadied. “Let me understand this system. Don’t just order me around like a pet—explain why. Teach me. And I’ll be more useful than you imagined.”
His grip on her wrist loosened fractionally. “Knowledge is power. You’re asking me to arm you.”
“I’m asking you to make me competent,” she corrected once more. “Pets are useless. Allies are valuable. Which do you actually want?”
The question hung between them, weighted with implications that stretched far beyond this moment.
Sylas’s expression shifted through calculations she couldn’t track. Then, slowly, his muzzle pulled into a genuine smile—not the threatening flash of teeth, but something almost…impressed.
“Done.” He fastened the wristband around her wrist before she could react. The metal was cool against her skin, conforming to her size with disturbing precision. The blue gem pulsed once, syncing with her heartbeat, and suddenly she couldfeelit. A faint hum of energy running through her veins.
Not painful. Not invasive. Just…present.