Page 26 of The Quoram Effect

He straightened, those dark eyes eroding any conviction I had left. A visible breath expelled from his lungs, and he pointed to the bed. “Where’d you pickhimup from, anyway?”

Frustration fuelled by despondent regret had me groaning. “Gods, does it matter?”

“OF COURSE IT MATTERS!” In the next breath, he was inches from me. His face too close, his body an intoxicating beacon calling to me with a lustful taunt. “Do you know I canfeeleverything when you’re intimate with someone?”

I shot back his scowl, recalling the months—years—I put up with his fleeting courtships. “Yes, Torz! The bond works both ways!”

There was a visible flinch before he clenched his teeth. “Are you aware the bond is amplified when you’re on Q?” He was so close, his minty breath invaded my air, and I realised my breaths had become short and rapid. Peering up into those brown eyes dipped in green and caramel flecks, a zap of electricity shot through my stomach, leaving residual sparks in its wake. This man had a power over me I doubted he realised. Every waking nerve was reaching for him, wanting to entwine themselves with him. The pull was beyond torturous.

I dropped my gaze as Torz scoffed. “No, of course you didn’t. I guess that only works one way.” He pushed against the wall and turned, rubbing his strapped forearm hiding under his jacket. The situation with his strained wrist left me baffled. Surely, he could take some form of Q medication to heal it, so why was it taking so long?

Oh Gods, unless…

Unless he was avoiding such medication, concerned I’d react to it through our bond. I had no idea if that was something that might occur, but if his side of the bond amplified when I took Q, what would I feel ifhetook it?

I closed my eyes in despair. Had that been the reason he knew I was taking Q all those years ago? Had he always known, even when I lived on Beta Ring? How many times had he felt me with another man?

“I knew something was wrong.” His voice took on a gentler note. “I knew. I could Gods damn feel it.”

Inside, my dignity shrivelled to dust. I should’ve gone to him. I should’ve asked him for help, but I never wanted to be that burden. I’d taken so much of his generosity and compassion over the years. But last night I’d set fire to the cord of dedication bridging us. And here I was, standing in a pile of its ashes.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words barely audible above the pounding of my shameful heart.

Torz turned to look at me, a tender concern riding his hard gaze. “I’m leaving for Titus in an hour. I was going to leave you and Arlo in charge, but…” He shook his head. “I think it’s best if you come with me.” He walked to the exit and announced, “Dock 6A, ten-hundred hours. Clean yourself up. Don’t be late.”

Staring in his wake, I didn’t release my wavering breath until the apartment door hissed shut. My chest ached with an anguish I hadn’t struggled with since…since my mum died. It was the pain of grief. I was losing him. Losing the friendship we’d rebuilt, the friendship I relied upon—the love I so desperately hoped lay between us.

Chapter Thirteen

The twelve-seater executive passenger jet was a taunting, pressurised prison. I eyed the long, sleek cabin fitted with cream leather seats and dainty glass coffee tables. Finn, Petra, and Jak—three of Torz’s loyal security team—sat to the left playing a quiet game of cards, while Saul settled beside me at the very back, reading from his comms. Two sets of empty chairs lay between us and Torz, who rested with his back against the cockpit wall next to an elegantly styled Marla Hyde.

Only the sound of Marla’s softly spoken murmurs could be heard over the gentle hum of the engines. And her tittering tones were steadily grating on my nerves.

Moulding my body into the corner where my seat met the oval window, I watched Torz flash a smile, muttering incoherent words to Marla. Her hand slid over his arm—his sprained wrist—pressing her fingers into his suit sleeve whilst whispering in his ear. Heat drowned me in the icy fire of jealousy, but I couldn’t rip my gaze away. I needed to see his reaction. Would he pull away like he did with me? Would he?

My heart shattered when he didn’t.

Torz hadn’t uttered a word to me since I’d arrived at the docks. Clearly avoiding any form of interaction, he’d purposely avoided me, sweeping his eyes to Saul or overhead to something behind; never once meeting my eye. He was pissed with me, and rightly so. I’d let him down. After everything he’d done for me, I’d betrayed his trust. I might as well have taken every caring act,every reassuring word from the past six years, and thrown them down the disposal chute with the bottles of Q.

I didn’t deserve him. I never had.

For the third, perhaps fourth time in twenty-four hours, tears tingled at my tear ducts. This wasn’t me. I didn’t cry. I’d hardened to the sensibilities that provoked them, blocking them from my life years ago. But recently, something was pulling me into the realms of fragility, and it fucking scared me.

Still with my eyes tracing the features of his face, I inwardly flinched as Torz’s steely gaze locked with mine. Every sane part of me screamed to look away, but I couldn’t. I wanted him to know how I was feeling, how I regretted my actions from last night. That I needed him to trust me.

I had no idea what he portrayed through our bond. The remnants of Q still thrummed through my veins like a living being, albeit far gentler than last night, which left me numb to his emotions. But I was none the wiser if Torz’s side of our connection remained heightened. His stony expression gave nothing away as I tried to emphasise my regret through my soft glower. But he broke the exchange, turning once again to Marla.

I didn’t realise the hiss inside my head bubbled over my lips until Saul snickered beside me.

“What the hell is going on with you two?”

I snapped my attention his way. Saul was smirking, shaking his head with amusement. Thankfully, his voice remained low and discreet as he said, “Are you somehow talking to each other telepathically?” He gestured between Torz and me. “I didn’t know that was a thing with Damsons—”

“We’re not Damsons,” I gritted out.

Saul’s dark brows rose, then furrowed tightly, confirming his compunction for his tactless comment. He knew more than I liked about our rejected Damson bond. Barely two weeks after I’d started working for the team, Torz had told Saul aboutour past. At first, his candour surprised me. I’d thought Torz would’ve wanted to disregard the fact, but in turn, Saul’s understanding had become a comfort to me on a good day, a shield on a bad one. He was an empathetic friend to both of us, and because of that, I loved him dearly.

Shifting in his seat, Saul glanced at Torz who was still attentively talking with Marla. “Are you alright?” Saul asked me, gently.