Chapter 6

The thick, glowing blue gel expelled from the syringe, immediately absorbing directly into Rhys's cracked, gray skin. It didn't pool or drip; his severely dehydrated body drank it in like a sponge in a desert. For three terrifying seconds, absolutely nothing happened. The basement was dead silent, save for Terra's own ragged breathing.

Then, Rhys violently convulsed. His massive blue tail slapped against the concrete floor with a deafening CRACK. The chains attached to his heavy dampening cuffs snapped taut, grinding against the metal loops bolted into the ground. He gasped. It was a horrific, wet, tearing sound, like a man pulling his head above water after drowning. His chest heaved violently. The sickly gray pallor of his skin immediately began to flush with a deep, furious red as the nano-gel forced his stalled circulatory system back into overdrive.

"Rhys!" Corbin shouted, stepping forward, his silver eyes wide with shock.

Rhys's eyes snapped open. They were completely black, totally pupil-less, the eyes of a deep-sea predator pushed to the absolute edge of survival. He thrashed wildly, his hands tearing at the heavy cuffs. The chaotic energy in the room spiked. Terra's skin prickled as the ambient air grew heavy and damp, reacting to his recovering biological frequency.

"Hold him down!" Terra yelled at Zev. "His nervous system is rebooting! He's going to tear his own arms off!"

Zev didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, grabbing Rhys by the shoulders and using his massive strength to pin the thrashing aquatic male to the floor. Terra crawled closer, her knees scraping against the rough concrete. The nano-gel had stabilized his internal organs, but the external damage-the deep, bleeding fissures where his scales met his human skin-was still exposed.

Females were the evolutionary catalysts. Their physical touch carried a biological frequency that soothed and repaired the chaotic energy inside males. Terra didn't fully understand the science yet, but she knew the rule. She reached out and pressed both of her palms flat against his chest, right over his frantically beating heart.

The moment Terra's skin made contact with his, Rhys let out a sharp, ragged hiss. His entire body arched upward. The violent thrashing stopped instantly. His muscles locked tight, trembling under Terra's hands. His black eyes lost their predatory glaze, narrowing as they focused entirely on Terra.

Terra could feel his body temperature dropping rapidly under her palms, shifting from a feverish, dying heat to a cool, stable chill. The connection felt bizarre-like plunging her hands into a pool of cool, vibrating water. Without thinking, Terra's left hand slid downward, moving from his chest to the deep, bleeding cracks along his waistline to apply direct pressure. Her fingers brushed against the soft, highly sensitive webbing at the very base of his lateral fins.

Rhys violently jolted. It wasn't a convulsion of pain. It was a massive, uncontrollable full-body flinch. A deep, guttural groan ripped from his throat, a sound so raw and intensely physical that it made Terra's own face flush hot. Terra snatched her hand back like she had been burned. In the beast world, the base of a male's ears, wings, or fins were intensely dense nerve clusters. They were extreme erogenous zones, hyper-sensitive to a female's touch. Terra had just casually stroked the equivalent of an exposed, highly charged live wire.

Rhys stared up at Terra. His chest was rising and falling in deep, even rhythms now. The bleeding at his waist had coagulated into a dark, healthy crust. The dull blue of his tail scales was slowly beginning to catch the dim yellow light, regaining a faint iridescence. He looked at Terra's face, realizing she had no toxic makeup on. He looked at her hands, which were shaking. His expression contorted into a mask of pure, absolute revulsion.

"Don't," Rhys whispered, his voice incredibly hoarse, scratching like sandpaper. "Don't touch me." He pulled away from Terra, dragging his heavy tail across the concrete until his back hit the far wall. He curled his shoulders inward, creating physical distance.

The Kore AI pinged softly in Terra's mind.

[Notice: Asset 2 (Rhys Donovan) physical status stabilized. Affection metric remains at -99.]

Rhys was alive, but he still hated Terra's guts. Fair enough. Terra was the one who locked him in here, as far as he was concerned. Before Terra could say anything, the heavy metal door at the top of the stairs banged open. Rapid, frantic footsteps echoed down the concrete steps.

"Rhys! Oh my god, Rhys!" A high-pitched, painfully sweet voice filled the basement.

Terra turned her head. Running down the stairs was a petite, exceptionally beautiful woman. She wore a pristine white dress that looked completely untouched by the slum's filth. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled, and tears were already streaming dramatically down her flawless cheeks.

Sylvie Chandler. The memories flooded Terra's brain like a toxic spill. Sylvie was the original Terra's "best friend." She was a lower-tier socialite who had used Terra's wealth to elevate her own status. More importantly, Sylvie was the one who had manipulated Terra into kidnapping these males in the first place. She had constantly whispered in Terra's ear, telling her she deserved powerful assets, fueling Terra's sadistic tendencies while maintaining a facade of pure innocence herself.

Sylvie reached the bottom of the stairs and immediately gasped, covering her mouth with both hands in a theatrical display of horror. She stared at Terra, then at Rhys huddled against the wall.

"Terra!" Sylvie cried out, her voice trembling with perfectly calibrated outrage. "What are you doing to him?! Haven't you tortured him enough? You're a monster!"

Sylvie rushed past Terra, intentionally shoving her shoulder hard against hers. She threw herself onto the concrete floor next to Rhys, reaching out as if to cradle his face. "Rhys, I'm here," Sylvie cooed, her voice dripping with fake, sugary sympathy. "I came as soon as I heard the Board exiled her. I'm going to save you from this psycho."

Terra sat back on her heels. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, staring at the absolute audacity unfolding in front of her.