Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them back before anyone could see.
“Then take control, Tempest,” she whispered in her mind.
“Do what needs to be done. Just… save him.”
Tempest’s growl turned to something like a purr.
“I will. But I have one request: I need your full trust. I need full control. If we are to use your abilities to their full extent… you must let go.”
River didn’t hesitate.
“I trust you.”
And with that, she relinquished the reins.
A shift rolled over her body like a tidal surge—not painful, but overwhelming, as she felt herself taking a back seat in her mind. Her senses sharpened instantly. She could hear the heartbeat of the guards around her, smell the nervous sweat clinging to their uniforms, feel the tension rippling from Heiko like smoke
