CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: FAILURE

The night faded into morning without either of them realizing it. Wrapped in tangled sheets and each other’s heat, sleep had come easily.

Sunlight poured through the curtains now, warm and blinding against the ceiling.

Jace opened his eyes slowly, blinking into the light. His mind was still catching up when he heard the familiar voice in his head.

[Wakey wakey.]

He groaned lightly, dragging a hand across his face. His other hand reached across the bed, searching, but only found cold sheets.

Eva wasn’t there.

"Morning, Zin," Jace mumbled, voice hoarse.

He pushed himself up, blinking around the room. Her clothes were gone too.

Zin spoke again, smug as ever.

[You sleep like a boulder, y’know that? She probably left like ten minutes ago. Said something about getting a head start.]

Jace scratched his head, dragging himself to sit upright. "And you didn’t wake me?"

[What, and ruin your cute little afterglow nap? Come on, even I have boundaries.]

Jace sighed, swinging his legs off the bed. The air was cool now, the heat of the night already starting to fade.

Somewhere outside, he could hear faint traffic and the distant squawk of birds. Everything felt... normal. Almost.

He glanced at the spot Eva had occupied, then down at himself.

The sheets were still a mess. His body ached in a good way, but there was something else brewing under the surface now. That question again:

Did it work?

He stood up slowly, bones cracking, and moved toward the window.

The city stretched out ahead, tall buildings casting long shadows in the early light.

Somewhere out there, chaos was waiting. Monsters. Politics. Aliens.

And now, possibly, two humans bonded by something deeper than either of them could explain.

Jace took a breath.

Today might change everything.

Jace stretched as he stood up, the morning light brushing against his bare skin. His body still felt sore in all the right places, but his thoughts were elsewhere now.

"Zin," he muttered aloud, rubbing his neck. "Any changes in my body?"

[Nope, everything’s still the same, Casanova,] Zin replied casually. [Your kinetic field is stable, energy levels unchanged.]

Jace nodded slowly, processing the response.

"So... nothing transferred?"

[You’re not the one who’s supposed to change, remember? The whole point was to help her reset. To kickstart whatever was shut off.]

"Right. Makes sense," Jace said, exhaling through his nose.

Jace pulled on a fresh shirt and stepped out of the room, stretching his arms as he walked into the main space of the apartment. The moment he crossed the threshold, his body tensed.

He didn’t know why, until he looked up.

Serai was seated on the couch, the TV still playing at a low volume. She wasn’t glaring. No, glaring would’ve been easier to deal with.

She was staring. Silent. Still. Her expression blank, but her eyes sharp, like blades honed to a fine edge.

Ever since they had found her underground in the sewage tunnels, Serai had always been calm, curious, and occasionally awkward. But this? This was different.

She wasn’t angry.

She was pissed.

Jace looked away, already regretting every sound they might’ve made last night. Zin hadn’t mentioned this part.

He cleared his throat quietly and shifted his focus toward the kitchen, where the smell of toast and eggs drifted into the room.

Eva stood by the counter, plating food with her back to him. There was no humming, no banter. Her shoulders were tense, her head slightly down as she worked.

Jace walked up beside her. She didn’t look up. He could already tell why.

"...She heard us, didn’t she?" he muttered under his breath.

Jace stood beside her in silence. Eva didn’t look at him. She didn’t need to. The air between them said enough.

Then, she spoke, flat, quiet.

"They’re still not back."

Jace’s breath caught. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. Finally, he managed, "I’m... sorry."

She cut in before the guilt could build too far. "Don’t be. You warned me it might not work."

That only made it worse. Jace shifted back a step, giving her space as the weight in his chest grew.

He didn’t expect her voice again. But she kept her back to him and said, calm and clear, "I’ll still train you. If you’re still up for it."

Jace looked at her, then nodded slowly.

"...Yeah," he said. "I am."

Jace shook his head and stepped away from the kitchen, moving toward the couch. Serai was still there, still staring. She hadn’t blinked once.

He gave her a sheepish smile. "Good morning."

She tilted her head, confused. "Good... morning?"

He nodded, keeping his tone light. "It’s a thing humans say after waking up. Like... a greeting for the start of the day."

Serai blinked. Then, unexpectedly, she pouted.

"Not good morning."

Jace paused, taken aback. "...Right," he muttered.

Her English was improving, smoother, clearer, but her mood clearly wasn’t. He eyed her for another second, then looked away before she could say something sharp.

"I’ll take that as a ’still mad’," he muttered under his breath, walking off.

Zin’s voice chuckled inside his head.

[She’s gonna eat you alive one day, y’know that?]

Jace didn’t respond. He just hoped that day wasn’t today.

"You mate with..." Serai pointed toward the kitchen.

Eva, who had just set down a plate, looked up but didn’t say anything.

Jace froze, clearing his throat. "That’s—uh—"

Serai tilted her head again, eyes still fixed on him. "Why not mate with Serai?"

He nearly choked on his own spit. "Zin... what does she mean?"

Zin’s voice came in, way too entertained.

[You know what she meant.]

Jace whispered under his breath, "Yeah, I know, but why?"

[She’s an alien, not clueless. She’s been watching you two. You really thought she wouldn’t pick up on that kind of bonding?]

Jace rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding both sets of eyes now on him. Serai’s question wasn’t teasing.

It was straightforward, like she didn’t understand why he chose Eva instead of her. That made it even worse.

He glanced toward Eva, her expression was unreadable now.

He sighed. "Because..." he started, but stopped. His brain was blank.

This was going to be a long day.