Private room

Stephan POV

Greg’s consciousness leaked through like mercury, poisonous and impossible to contain. Stephan had stopped trying to build walls; they crumbled faster each time now, Greg’s surrender to the V dragging him down with him.

Through their bond, Greg’s lust slammed into him from where he had the dancer pinned—a physical blow that made Stephan’s fingers dig into the wall for support. Greg’s hunger became his own, the obsession bleeding through until Stephan couldn’t tell where he ended and his twin began.

The scent hit him then. Sweet and electric, like ozone after a storm. Stephan’s body moved before his mind could catch up, two quick strides bringing him to the dancer’s side. His fingers wrapped around her wrist, lifting it to his face. The smell intensified as he inhaled against her skin, his heightened senses searching for traces of what they sought.

“Tell me…” He pressed his nose to her pulse, intoxicated. “Exactly who you’ve touched in the last twenty minutes.” Another deep inhale. “Tell me everyone.”

She listed names in a flat, compliant tone—other dancers, stagehands, patrons. Then the last name.

“…my friend Jade.”

Stephan’s fingers tightened around her wrist as he met Greg’s eyes in the mirror. His brother’s pupils had dilated to pinpoints, nostrils flaring.

“We need to meet your friend… Jade…” The name rolled off his tongue like honey, Greg’s voice joining his in perfect sync, deeper and rougher with barely contained need. “We need her.”

“She’s…” The word hung in the air.

“…She’s behind you.”

They spun in perfect synchronization, the bond humming with anticipation.

She stood in the doorway, her silhouette carved by the neon lights behind her. Raw power rolled off her in waves that made Stephan’s implants sing. The electric sweetness sharpened, crackling like static before a storm. His muscles coiled, ready to strike, but something in her stare gave him pause. They needed her intact. If only he could make his brother understand that.

“Bree…” Jade’s voice cut through the thick atmosphere, sharp and focused. Stephan’s enhanced hearing caught the command in her tone, a resonance that made his implants hum. “Come over here to me. Now.”

Greg’s rage flooded their connection as Bree moved without hesitation, stepping away from him and towards Jade’s outstretched hand. But beneath his fury, Stephan felt something else: recognition. This display of power, this natural authority—it was exactly what corporate had sent them to find.

“Bree’s coming with me.” Jade’s voice was a blade, her hand wrapping around Bree’s arm and pulling her close. Bree leaned into the touch, her vacant expression slowly fading.

The mirror behind them began to vibrate, its surface rippling like heat waves from a welding torch. Jade’s eyes darted around the room, scanning for threats, until they locked onto her own reflection.

Her breath hitched. The crackling energy in the room wavered like a failing signal. She released Bree’s wrist, taking an unconscious step toward the mirror. The neon lights painted her bruises in stark relief, but that wasn’t what held her attention—her eyes were fixed on something deeper, something that made her raise a trembling hand to her face. The fierce protector seemed to shrink, replaced by someone struggling to recognize themselves, to understand the alien light staring back from her own eyes.

A small, broken sound escaped her throat.

Greg’s excitement poured through their bond, making Stephan’s own implants burn hotter. “Can you smell it, brother?” Greg whispered, his voice thick with hunger. “Pure, unrefined power.”

She tore her gaze from the mirror and turned to them. Her eyes narrowed, that otherworldly glow hardening into something sharp and dangerous. The confusion vanished, replaced by a sudden, focused intensity that sent a jolt through Stephan’s implants.

“Who the hell are you?” Her voice was low, tight, each word a physical weight in the charged air. “What do you want with Bree? What is happening?”

Stephan’s throat constricted. Words clawed their way up, desperate to obey her command. The raw V rolling off her wasn’t just power; it was a command prompt embedded in his very neurology. He fought it—corporate protocols warring against this primal need to answer—but resistance proved futile.

“I’m Stephan, and this is my brother, Gregory.” The information slipped out, reluctant and strained. He could taste metal on his tongue, sharp and bitter.

Greg cut in, his voice thick with excitement. “We’ve got implants, regulation points, careful doses. But you’re pure. Raw. Like a walking reactor.” He took a step forward, nostrils flaring. “Can’t you feel it humming under your skin?”

Stephan grabbed his arm, holding him back. “That’s why they want you,” he heard himself say, the words spilling out before he could stop them. “You’re not modified. You’re evolved.” The metallic taste grew stronger as he spoke, his own regulated Veridycium responding to her presence like a tuning fork.

Jade’s hand went to her throat, fingers pressing against her pulse point where blue veins spider-webbed beneath her skin. The mirror’s vibration intensified, responding to her growing agitation.

Greg turned to Stephan, his voice a feral hiss. “We can take her! Let’s do this!” He rolled his shoulders in anticipation, licking his lips. “We’ll get triple the price. This is what they are looking for.”

“Think it through. Remember Niberion?”

His brother’s grin widened, showing too many teeth. “Niberion was fun. This’ll be better.”

“The price doesn’t matter if we can’t deliver.” Stephan gripped his shoulder. “We need her functional.”

Greg shrugged off his hand. “Functional enough.” He laughed, sharp and bitter. “Besides, you felt what she did. Making us talk? Can’t let that kind of power walk away.”

The air crackled as Greg launched himself forward, moving with enhanced speed that should have caught any normal target off guard. But Jade shifted—pure instinct taking over—her body moving in ways that shouldn’t be possible. She pivoted, surprise flickering across her face as Greg hit nothing but air.

No one had ever moved that fast before. Not even other enhanced.

Greg recovered quickly, dropping into a fighting stance. Stephan moved to flank her automatically, their shared consciousness falling into familiar patterns. Jade’s eyes widened as power surged through her. Her next strike was clumsy but devastating—raw energy behind untrained movements sending Greg staggering back into the mirror. The impact spiderwebbed across the glass, fracturing their reflections into kaleidoscope fragments.

“Brother,” Stephan warned, but Greg was already charging again. Stephan moved to cut off her escape, herding her with synchronized precision. They’d done this dance a hundred times.

Jade met Greg’s charge head-on, catching his enhanced strength with her bare hands. Raw power exploded between them—Stephan felt the surge through their bond as Greg’s regulated Veridycium reacted to her pure energy. The blue light pulsed, a miniature star born in the cramped room.

“She’s incredible!” Greg roared, a cocktail of awe and violent intent.

“Greg, pull back! You’ll cause a cascade!” Stephan lunged, aiming to break their contact.

Before he could reach them, Jade screamed. Not pain—raw, untamed power erupting. A shockwave of pure energy slammed into them. Greg flew backward, crashing through the already fractured mirror and into the far wall with a sickening thud. Stephan braced, skidding several feet, the force rattling his teeth. The remaining lights flickered and died, plunging them into near darkness lit only by the ethereal blue glow emanating from her.

She stood panting, chest heaving, the blue light painting her face in harsh, otherworldly strokes. Bree cowered near the doorway, eyes wide with terror. A crimson trickle escaped Jade’s nostril.

Greg groaned from the wreckage of the mirror and wall. “Damn, brother… she hits harder than a cargo hauler.” He pushed a shard of mirror off his chest.

Stephan pushed himself upright. The mission parameters were clear: secure the asset. But asset felt like the wrong word for the woman who just single-handedly took down his twin.

“Listen,” he started, his voice carefully neutral, “we don’t want to hurt you. We just want to talk.”

She wiped the blood from her nose, fury warping her features. “Talk?” The word dripped contempt. She spat crimson on the ruined tiles, swaying slightly, blue light still sizzling in her eyes. “Now you want to talk?”

She laughed, a harsh, brittle sound. The blue light around her hands flickered back to life, a subtle warning.