Chapter 32 A Confession And A Child

• “You said they were a crew—mostly scientists—and they’re familiar with Erlin?” Emily asked, her breath still ragged from a late-night core-hunting mission with Gazier. Hound, standing near a cracked windowframe, sighed with fatigue from her relentless questions, already regretting he’d revealed so much.
• “Yes, are you familiar with them?” he countered, eyeing Emily warily. She hesitated, glancing away in a manner that piqued his suspicion. In a swift movement, he closed the gap between them until their noses almost touched. “Spill!”
• Emily steadied his face with her palms, fingers resting gently along his jawline. She searched his eyes—dark and intense—before placing a brief peck on his lower lip. The moment was fleeting but charged with electricity. She slipped past him, making her way to the grand glass window overlooking the skeletal skyline outside. “What are we doing, Hound?” she asked quietly.