I was kind of with Eli on this one—attacking an unknown number of fortified enemies wasn’t my favorite thing. I wanted to save the kid, but not at the expense of my team.

“I don’t suppose you have a whole squad of telekinetics who would like to take this mission?” I asked.

Torran grimaced. “No. There are a few in the imperial guard, but alerting them isn’t the best idea for obvious reasons.”

I paced, too antsy to sit still. There were too many unknowns, and I wasn’t sure any of them would be resolved by tomorrow night. “This is such a bad idea,” I mumbled to myself.

Torran stopped me with a hand on my arm. He waited until I met his eyes. “You don’t have to go,” he said. “You and your team can remain here.”

I sighed. “We have to go. Now it’s about more than a missing child. I don’t have much of a voice with the FHP, but I will do everything I can to prevent another war.”

“And if it is the FHP?”

“Then I’ll go public. Normal citizens don’t want another war. We still haven’t recovered from the last one. If I can sway public opinion, then it might be enough.”

“And what will the FHP do?”

My smile was grim. “They’ll try to silence me, of course.”

“They’ll hunt you,” Torran said. “You won’t be safe.”

I nodded once, sharply. If it came to that, I’d have to send my parents into hiding—my parents, who’d lived in the same house for forty years. It would break their hearts, but they would understand. They knew the cost of war.

We all did.

I smiled at him, trying to lighten the mood. “So make sure you fulfill your debt before it comes to that, okay?” I turned to the displayed blueprint before he could respond. “Now, let’s see if you live up to your reputation, General. How do we get in safely?”

Torran’s gaze lingered on my face for a long moment before he reluctantly turned to the display. “The entrance is designed to be easy to defend, so we need to get past it before they know we’re there. That means speed and stealth. Your team will need to allow my team to mentally shield them at least until we’re inside.”

I remembered the cool press of Torran’s mind against my own in the parking garage. Then I remembered what had happened next. My cheeks heated. A peek at Torran revealed that his gaze was fixed on me, a hungry expression on his face.

He stalked closer, the silver in his eyes expanding. “Perhaps we should practice,” he coaxed, his voice deep.

A throb of yearning tugged on me, but I straightened and put a hand on his chest. “Not while you’re bound,” I reminded him quietly.