Kyber. Her One. Chained in the middle of a small, cold room, his arms were stretched out to the sides, wrists in heavy manacles. A thick collar wrapped tight around his neck and attached to the ceiling. He sagged against the bonds, his long ebony hair falling forward to cover his face. He didn’t even look up when the door opened, gave no indication that he’d even noticed. Jana’s heart stuttered, her palms moistening on the handle of the gun she held. Was he more damaged than their intelligence had led them to believe? There was no way a Kith, especially the Kith emperor, wouldn’t detect someone’s approach. A low hum vibrated through the air in this entire military compound. White noise, with an extra added squeal that dampened the Kith’s psychic ability. Still, Kyber’s animal side should have sensed her, smelled her. He didn’t so much as twitch. She swallowed, giving herself a moment just to look at him. It had been so long—months—since she had seen him, touched him.
