MY CRUEL PROTECTOR
"He’s not just riding the ship, precious. He’s becoming the fuel."
"I can't slow down, Nevan," I said, my voice echoing with a metallic resonance. "If we drop out of slipstream now, we’ll be stranded in the dead space between systems. We have to reach the Oort Cloud relay."
Suddenly, Leo let out a soft, melodic gasp. He didn't cry. He didn't scream. He simply... detached.