The asteroid field was a storm of stone and silence. The Starling weaved through tumbling boulders, its shields flaring with every near miss. Behind them, the Empire's drones spread in formation, hunting with machine precision.
Tessa's hands flew across the controls, her jaw set tight. "We can't outrun them. They'll box us in."
Kaelen sat rigid in the co-pilot's seat, chest still burning from the dragon's fire. He clenched his fists, trying to will the power down. It simmered, restless, aching to be unleashed.
Yield, the dragon whispered, voice like molten steel. End this in flame.
Kaelen gritted his teeth. "Not your weapon."
Tessa's eyes flicked toward him. "You're talking to it again, aren't you?"
He didn't answer. He didn't have to.
"Kael, listen to me." Her voice was steady even as the ship bucked under fire. "You can't let it use you. Not like in the station. You give it too much, and it won't give you back."
His throat tightened. "And if holding back kills us both?"
"Then at least it'll be you who dies—not whatever it's trying to make you into."
Her words struck like a blade. For all her sharpness, he heard the fear underneath. Fear not of the Empire, but of losing him.
The thought was enough to keep him steady—for now.
---
A warning klaxon blared. Shields at forty percent. Another hit and the Starling would be a drifting husk.
Tessa swore under her breath. "We need cover. Something to break their lock."
Kaelen scanned the debris ahead. His eyes caught on a massive asteroid split down the middle, its core glowing faintly with unstable crystal. "There," he said, pointing. "Detonite crystal seam. If we trigger it—"
"It'll blow half the field," Tessa finished, already angling the ship toward it. "Good eye."
The dragon stirred inside him, hungry. Yes. Break. Shatter. Let fire sing.
Kaelen shoved the voice down, focusing instead on Tessa's hands dancing over the controls, the stubborn line of her mouth. She had always been the one to anchor him—through the war, through the ruins, through everything. He couldn't let the dragon take that away.
The Starling darted toward the glowing seam. Drones swarmed after them, hungry shadows in the void.
"Get ready," Tessa said, fingers tightening on the throttle.
Kaelen braced himself, forcing calm. When the seam filled the viewport, he slammed the manual override, channeling a burst of shadow-fire into the forward cannons. The blast ripped through space, striking the unstable crystal.
For a heartbeat, nothing.
Then the asteroid split apart in a blaze of fire and stone. A shockwave tore through the field, flinging drones into oblivion.
The Starling rattled violently, alarms shrieking, but it held. When the debris cleared, only a handful of drones remained—crippled, scattering.
Tessa let out a sharp breath, her knuckles white on the controls. "That was insane."
Kaelen managed a shaky grin. "You love insane."
Her lips twitched despite herself. "Don't push your luck."
But her hand lingered on the throttle longer than necessary, her shoulders still tense. And Kaelen, heart pounding, realized how close they had come—not just to death, but to losing this, the fragile tether between them.
---
Hours later, the ship drifted in the quiet edges of the field, cloaked by debris. Tessa slumped against the bulkhead, scarf pulled loose, exhaustion in her every line.
Kaelen sat across from her, still restless. The fire in him hadn't dimmed—it never did—but for once it was quiet, watching.
"You saved us," Tessa admitted finally. Her eyes met his, sharp but softer now. "But if you lose control again, Kael…"
"I won't," he said quickly. Too quickly.
She tilted her head, studying him. "You don't believe that."
He exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. "It's stronger every time. Like it's… learning me. I don't know how long I can keep it caged."
Silence stretched between them. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she said, "Then don't do it alone."
Kaelen looked up. Her gaze was steady, unflinching, but behind it lay something raw—fear, yes, but also loyalty. Maybe more.
For a moment, he wanted to reach across the space between them, to close the distance that had been there for years. But he didn't. Not yet.
The dragon shifted, a low purr in his chest. She is flame too. Stronger together.
Kaelen ignored it. Or tried to.
Instead, he said quietly, "When this is over, Tess—if there is an 'over'—I'll tell you everything I never said."
Her lips curved into the smallest, saddest smile. "You'd better live long enough to keep that promise, flyboy."
---
Far away, aboard the Imperial frigate, Commander Deyne studied the wreckage reports with icy calm. The swarm had failed, but the readings were clear: the Shadow Dragon's host had revealed its fire.
Deyne turned to his second officer. "Prepare the Harrow device. And double the bounty across every sector. If the host thinks he can hide in the dark, we'll drag him into the light."
The officer bowed. "And if the dragon consumes him first?"
Deyne's mouth curled into a thin smile. "Then we'll carve the ashes from his corpse."