Chapter 65

Victoria We gathered around the makeshift command center in Leo's private study. Maps and blueprints covered the massive oak table, alongside satellite images and the recovered surveillance footage Carson had managed to extract from the mining facility. The scent of coffee hung heavy in the air, a futile attempt to combat the exhaustion that had settled into our bones after the night's discoveries. I stood by the window, palm pressed against the cool glass, feeling something new stirring within me. Since our return from the nexus chamber, my senses had expanded in ways I couldn't have imagined. The potted fern in the corner pulsed with quiet life-energy. The wooden floor beneath my feet retained whispers of the trees they'd once been. Every living plant, even the cut flowers in the crystal vase, seemed to hum a melody only I could hear. "Victoria?" Leo's deep voice pulled me from my trance. His eyes—those penetrating amber eyes that seemed to see right through me—were filled with equal