The doors opened with a low metallic groan.

Cold air hit me first.

Then the smell.

Burned fur. Chemicals. Something sharp that stung the back of my throat.

I stopped for half a second.

“Move,” the enforcer said behind us.

I stepped forward.

Cassian came in right after me. I felt it more than saw it—the way he shifted closer without thinking, just enough that our shoulders almost brushed.

The bond reacted instantly.

A low, tight pull.

I ignored it.

The lab stretched wide, ...