Now she was playing with me, but I couldn’t complain. I was only using her for her tech, and she knew it, even if she didn’t know why I needed her help.

My warrior shadow stepped into the doorway when we tried to slip out. “You have ten minutes. No more.”

“That’s fine.” I would’ve rationalized, but Cass did better.

“You do any VR gaming?” She looked him up and down. “I’d love to get your take on my new FPS. See if you think the weapon action is realistic enough.”

“I’m on duty, ma’am.” His tinted face plate blocked his features, but his voice was flat and serious. Not a chance he could be bribed.

Cass sighed. “What a waste.”

He let us pass, but followed into the hole that was Cassie’s workroom. I swept a coating of snack wrappers off one of the reclining seats. “You’re going to get rats.”

She made a disgusted noise as she tossed me a VR helmet. “Don’t knock my creative process.” She picked another helmet from the shelf next to her working table and held it hopefully toward the guard. “You sure you don’t want to try? I just programmed this sick knife-throwing sequence and—”

“I’m here to guard Mr. Orpheus. Not play games.”

“Your loss, dude.” Cass jammed the helmet onto her head.

I slipped on my own helmet and clamped down the clips, tightening it into place. The design was all hers, and she’d tweaked the arrangement since the last time I tried one of these. The comfortable padding aligned the sensors and electrodes to the perfect positions on my skull.

Cass’s voice sounded through the built-in speakers. “Tell me how you like the new avatar design. Going live in three… Two… One…”

Light flashed and I blinked. Cass and I stood on a blinding white plane—an empty VR space. Luckily she hadn’t dropped us into a game world. I didn’t have time.

She clapped a hand to her mouth, but giggles spilled out. She wore an elaborate set of white and gold paladin robes and I didn’t want to know what she’d programmed onto my avatar. When I glanced down, I wasn’t surprised. “A bikini, Cass?”

“Florals flatter your complexion.” She made no effort to keep a straight face.

I rubbed my virtual head. “Put me in something normal. I need to make a call.”

“Boring.” She made tapping motions in the air, working her invisible interface. A set of heavy robes settled over my shoulders, but I’d rather greet Eva wearing wizard’s gear than ladies swimwear.

“Can you promise me a secure line?” I tapped into my own interface and opened the com function.

“Of course. You think I’m a newb?”

“No. I trust you.” I started tapping in the number I’d memorized.