“One second,” Tyler said before stepping out into the hallway, closing the door quickly behind him.

If there was someone else out there that wanted to come in, then I was going to have to get my skin to stop glowing.

Six in. Three out. Three in. Six out. Four in. Eight out. Eight in. Four out. Six in. Three out. Three in. Six out. Four in. Eight out. Eight in. Four out.

It wasn’t working. Either the pain was setting off the glow, or the nanos’ frequencies were, or something else, but Declan’s breathing trick wasn’t working at all. Not even a little bit.

When the door swung open, both Tyler and Audrey were yelling.

I was still bound to the table. I couldn’t get up or run or do anything but wait to see who was on the other side of the door.

I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped this wasn’t what Jason wanted. For me to reveal myself to some other SpaceTech goon, who would then execute me. Because that would be a fitting end to my seriously shitty day.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“What the fuck is going on?” Ahiga’s voice was filled with cold fury.

I opened my eyes to see him staring down at me, and his face was turning a lovely shade of purple.

Tyler and Audrey looked ready to shit themselves as they glanced from me to Ahiga and back again.

Ahiga was SpaceTech, and anyone who could see me now, with my glowing skin, knew I was the enemy. Yet Ahiga wasn’t doing anything about it.

“It’s fine. Close the door,” I said to Audrey.

Audrey didn’t look convinced, but she’d treated me instead of turning me in. It was her ass on the line, too.

“Trust me.” My voice slurred with exhaustion. “This will work out better than the nanos.”

He picked up my arm and let go. My arm dropped weightlessly to the table. “You’re spent.”

“Yeah. I could really use a nap.”

Ahiga spun to Audrey. Then looked at me again, before striding to the door. He slammed it shut with such a fury that I was surprised the concrete walls hadn’t cracked.

He stepped directly in front of Audrey. “You want to tell me why you gave her nanos, knowing what she is?”

Tyler tried to get between them, but Audrey put a hand on his arm. “I’m confused. You’re mad that I treated a patient. Not about what she is?”

“You don’t know who she is, do you? She didn’t tell you?”

Audrey’s eyes were wide as she looked at me. “She’s a halfer.”

“She’s not just a halfer. Christ. I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to him…” Ahiga grabbed the back of his neck. “Someone tell me what happened to her.”