Chapter 16: Control

KADE

I was reviewing border patrol reports when Marcus burst into my office.

"To the clinic, Now. Sera's losing control."

I was moving before he finished speaking.

The hallway seemed endless, every step felt too slow. When I reached the clinic, I heard it, the hum of raw power, frightened voices, something breaking.

I moved through the door.

The scene stopped me. The back wall was cracked, wood splintered like something had exploded against it. Cassandra sat slumped beneath it, blood dripping from her nose. Elena was trying to approach someone, hands raised in a calming gesture, Other rogues crowded the doorway, their faces painted with fear and fascination.

And in the center of it all was Sera.

Silver light blazed around her like wildfire. Her eyes were pure silver, unseeing, lost. Her injured arm hung at her side, but her good hand was raised, power crackling between her fingers. She was shaking, her breath coming in short gasps.

"You just need to calm down," Elena was saying gently. "Sera, listen to me…"

"She attacked me," Cassandra said, her voice strained. "I was just talking to her and she.."

"Everyone shut up," I ordered, my voice cutting through the chaos.

Silence fell immediately, every eye turned to me except Sera's. She was still lost in her power, her fear feeding it, making it stronger.

"Elena, tend to Cassandra. Everyone else, out, Now."

The rogues scattered. Elena moved to Cassandra, shooting me a worried look before focusing on the injured woman.

I approached Sera slowly, keeping my movements calm and deliberate. The power around her crackled, reaching toward me like it was testing whether I was a threat.

"Sera," I said quietly. "Look at me."

No response. Her eyes stared at nothing, silver and blank.

"Sera." I took another step, the power lashed out, a tendril of silver light that stopped inches from my chest. Warning me to stand back.

I ignored it and kept moving forward.

"Kade, careful." Elena warned.

I didn't stop. Another step brought me close enough to feel the heat of Sera's power, the raw energy making my skin prickle.

"You're in control," I told her, keeping my voice steady and low. "Remember what I taught you, the power answers to you not the other way round."

Her breathing was still ragged, panicked. The silver light pulsed brighter.

"Breathe with me," I said. "In, out, slow."

I took an exaggerated breath, making sure she could hear it. Then another and another.

Slowly, her breathing began to match mine.

"Good," I said. "That's good, now feel the power don't fight it, just feel it."

I was close enough now to reach out. Dangerous, probably stupid, but necessary. I extended my hand slowly, palm up, waiting.

"You're safe, Sera. No one's going to hurt you, I won't let them."

Her silver eyes flickered. Just for a moment, I saw brown beneath the glow.

"Come back," I said quietly. "Come back to me."

My hand touched hers, the power surged, burning hot against my skin. I didn't pull away, Just held her hand, grounding her, letting her know I wasn't afraid.

"You're not dangerous," I continued, my voice steady despite the pain. "You're not a monster, you're Sera and you're in control."

The silver light wavered, her eyes cleared a bit more.

"Breathe," I reminded her. "In, out, with me."

We breathed together, my hand still holding hers despite the burn. Slowly, gradually, the power began to recede. The wild crackling softened, the blinding light dimmed.

Her eyes met mine, brown again, terrified and exhausted.

"Kade," she whispered.

Then her legs gave out.

I caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her against my chest. The last of the silver light faded, leaving her limp and shaking in my arms.

"I've got you," I said. "You're okay."

"I hurt her," Sera mumbled against my shirt. "I didn't mean to…I couldn't control it.."

"Shh, We'll figure it out."

Behind me, Elena had finished with Cassandra. "She'll be fine, bruised ribs, bloody nose, nothing serious."

"She touched me," Sera said, her voice barely audible. "And I just..it just.."

"I know." I adjusted my grip, preparing to lift her. "Elena, is she injured?"

"Power exhaustion," Elena said. "She needs rest, lots of it."

I stood, cradling Sera against my chest. She was too tired to protest, her head falling against my shoulder.

"What about her?" Cassandra asked from the floor, gesturing at Sera with obvious bitterness. "She attacked me, you're just going to let that go?"

I looked at her coldly. "You touched her after you dislocated her shoulder, after you spent days undermining her. Her power reacted defensively, that's on you."

"Defensively?" Cassandra's voice rose. "She could have killed me!"

"But she didn't." I started toward the door. "Elena will finish treating you then you stay in your quarters, we'll discuss your situation tomorrow."

"My situation?" Cassandra laughed bitterly. "I'm the victim here.."

"Tomorrow," I repeated, my tone making it clear the discussion was over.

I carried Sera through the compound, ignoring the stares from rogues who'd heard about the incident. She was barely conscious, her breathing shallow, her body trembling with exhaustion.

In her room, I laid her carefully on the bed, mindful of her injured shoulder. She made a small sound of pain but didn't wake.

I should leave, let her rest but something kept me there, watching her pale face, the dark circles under her eyes, the way even in sleep she looked exhausted.

How long had she been struggling like this? How many nights had she gone without real sleep, haunted by nightmares and fears she refused to share?

I pulled the chair from her desk to the bedside and sat down.

Her breathing was evening out now, the trembling subsiding but occasionally she'd make a small distressed sound, her face tightening with whatever she was dreaming.

"You're safe," I said quietly, knowing she probably couldn't hear. "I'm here, nothing's going to hurt you."

My hand moved without conscious thought, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She leaned into the touch slightly, some of the tension leaving her expression.

Tomorrow we'll talk, really talk. I'd find out what had put those walls between us, what had changed her from the fierce woman who'd argued with me to this hollow version going through emotions.

And once I knew, I'd fix it. Whatever it took.

But tonight, I just sat beside her bed and watched her sleep, and tried to ignore the way my chest tightened every time she made a sound of distress.

Tried to ignore how much it mattered that she was okay.

Tried to ignore that somewhere along the way, keeping her safe had stopped being about the Council and started being about her.

Just her.