Serena arched an eyebrow. "Escort?"
Her gaze swept over the towering man in front of her as she scoffed. "I don't need a bodyguard."
Jerrick's expression remained completely stoic. "I don't protect people. My mission is solely to prevent any complications with the cargo."
Serena stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a sharp laugh. "Then Mr. Fenris better pray your cargo doesn't drop dead before I collect my final payment."
Jerrick met her gaze, his grayish-blue eyes cold and unreadable. "And you'd better not step outside your clearance."
They locked eyes once more, the air crackling with undeniable tension.
Standing to the side, Director Kaelen discreetly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He didn't bother trying to smooth things over, instead secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Their hostility was actually a good thing.
The Panacea was dangerous, and Fenris wasn't someone the ship could completely control either.
The fact that their personalities clashed meant they would keep each other in check.
The Panacea wouldn't dare overstep, and Fenris would never let himself be manipulated by her.
For the ship's administration, there was no better outcome.
Gripping her medical case, Serena walked away from the specialized medical wing without looking back.
Director Kaelen hurried after her.
The two security guards trailed closely behind, terrified that this medical consultant with her newly minted Raven-Crest Access Card would vanish right out from under their noses.
The corridor lights cast a pallor over Serena's features, heavily accentuating the lazy impatience swimming in her eyes.
Director Kaelen quickened his pace. "Your Excellency."
Staying half a step behind her, he spoke with utmost caution. "Mr. Fenris was simply following protocol back there. He didn't mean to offend you, so please don't take it to heart."
"Take it to heart?" Serena didn't break her stride, merely shooting him a lazy, sideways glance as she drawled, "Why would I care about a watchdog?"
"Oh, wait. I meant a mongrel."
Director Kaelen was rendered speechless.
He absolutely did not have the nerve to respond to that.
After all, Fenris wasn't someone he could afford to cross either.
On one side, he had The Panacea, whom the ship desperately needed to placate.
On the other, the leader of an elite mercenary squad they had hired at an exorbitant price to guard the Sanétum Vault's Outer Perimeter.
He couldn't afford to offend either of them.
He simply offered a stiff chuckle, pretending he hadn't heard her
insult you have quite the senseet
humor, Your Excellency.
Serena ignored him, carrying her medical case as she continued down the hall.
Her strikingly pale face maintained its signature nonchalance.
Yet, inside her mind, she kept replaying the image of Fenris scanning her case.
Every single time that wolf of a man ran his scanner, he perfectly avoided where she h planted her
the
silver needle Confangs fo
FindNovel.net
That was absolutely not a coincidence.
She had wedged that needle right into the edge of the secret compartment.
It was hidden in a spot that was virtually impossible to detect.
Without an insanely sharp sense of danger, he never would have noticed it.
There were very few people in the world capable of evading her traps.
Fenris...
Serena's eyes narrowed slightly.
Was this man stationed outside the Sanctum Vault really just hired security?
He didn't act like a run-of-the-mill mercenary.
She could sense it; Fenris had undergone elite military training.
And it was the kind forged in the fires of real combat.
Then there was his subtle probing regarding the sentient cargo.
Would a mercenary just working for cash genuinely care about the lifespan of an asset?
That was completely outside his job description.
Serena's gaze darkened with calculation.
There was definitely something off about Fenris.
But to her, a wildcard wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
It seemed she wasn't the only one on this ship with an ulterior motive concerning the
cargo.
The more chaotic things got, the easier it would be for her to strike.