"These beasts were all taken down by Emma. No reason to let them go to waste." Edric's tone carried that smooth arrogance that made Damian's eye twitch. "Damian, help clean them up, would you? You're also one of Emma's suitors. You wouldn't turn her down, right?" Damian's jaw clenched so hard his teeth clicked. Emma caught the flicker of smug satisfaction in Edric's eyes. He's doing this on purpose again. She wanted to scold him, but compared to Damian's constant scheming, her "obedient" serpent was hard to resist. Peeking from Edric's arms, she called out, "Damian, I'll leave the carcasses to you. Once we sell them, I'll split the profit with you fifty-fifty." The fox's tail twitched once. Great. She's siding with the snake again.Not enough that he gets to hold her, now he's got me doing his d*mn grunt work. Fine, you smug reptile. Enjoy it while it lasts. Picking a fight with another male in front of the huntress was crossing the line and ignoring her command? That wasn't just stupid—it was suicide. Damian forced a tight smile, his voice steady despite the burn in his chest. "Serving Ms. Tibarn is my honor. Still, who's going to protect her if I stay here to process these beasts?" Emma gave him a soft smile. "It's fine. Edric's with me." That one stung. Damian's tail lashed behind him before he calmed his voice. "You're right. Edric's got the edge over me. He's better at keeping you safe." D*mn, this fox could act. Almost convincing, too, Edric thought. He shifted his stance just enough to block Emma's view of Damian. "Since you said it yourself—and admitted I'm the better protector—you can get to work." His tone stayed courteous, but the hint of a grin beneath it made Damian's fists twitch. Edric turned back to Emma, his tone gentle. "Emma, let's track down a few more level 5 beasts to stay sharp." He gathered her close, tail flicking once before they were gone in a streak of dark purple light. A sly fox trying to outplay me? Not happening, he thought. He carried her straight into another pack of level 5 beasts, constantly releasing just enough to match her level. Watching her fight lit something fierce inside him—a mix of pride and awe. By the time Damian finished with the last batch, Edric tossed him another pile. "Emma just took these down. Process them. Quickly." Damian's lip twitched. This snake is unbelievable.Edric's tail cut a glowing boundary through the dirt, sealing off the space where Emma fought. His aura pressed against the air like static. Even a Rank 8 Etherian like Damian couldn't push through. The fox, trapped outside, glared before returning to skinning carcasses, with the distant sound of Emma's fight echoing in the background. Every time she brought down another beast, Edric flicked the body toward Damian without even looking. The horde stretched on for miles, but most of it went to Laura's squad and the Interstellar Hunter Alliance. The level 5 beasts belonged entirely to Emma. She fought like a storm—water rippling under her boots, lightning splitting the air, the smell of ozone heavy around her. By the end, fifty beasts lay scattered at her feet. Her strength fizzled out, and she dropped to her knees, pale and shaking. Edric was there before she collapsed, his tail winding gently around her waist. He carefully lowered her onto him, the chaos around them diminishing into a dull hum. Two Level 4 beast cores shone at his hip; he took them out and silently offered them to her. A Rank 4 Etherian could typically only draw energy from same-rank cores. Yet, Emma wasn't built like the rest. She waved him away and reached into her storage band, showing a glowing Level 5 beast core. "Level 4 beast core isn't enough anymore." His brows drew together. "Wait—Emma, you're still Rank 4, right?" He'd questioned it from the beginning—how did a Rank 9 like him get paired with someone ranked so low? The truth hit him now. No chance she's just Rank 4. Maybe she's closer to Rank 5… maybe higher. She replied, "I'm Rank 4." The glow from the Level 5 beast core shimmered across her fingers as she absorbed its energy, the light echoing her heartbeat. Once the energy stabilized, she straightened from Edric's embrace, extracted another beast core, and kept going without pause. "It's probably because I have dual abilities. I've always needed stronger beast cores to recharge. That's why I can handle fights above my rank." Edric's pupils thinned to narrow slits. "You can absorb the energy of two Level 5 beast cores at once?" Emma nodded lightly. "Yeah. Two are just enough to refill me." His silence stretched, thick with disbelief. That shouldn't even be possible. His voice dropped, laced with concern. "Emma, after taking in that much energy, you don't feel strange? Dizzy? Off-balance?" Female Etherians with dual abilities were nearly extinct—Edric had only ever met two. Yet not one of them had done what Emma just accomplished. He'd never once heard of an Etherian, male or female, who could absorb beast cores above their own rank—and taking in two at once? That was supposed to be impossible. For most Etherians, even those gifted with dual abilities, half a same-level beast core was already flirting with their limit. Her voice was steady. "I'm fine. I've always been like this." Edric placed a hand over hers, letting his energy sweep through her system just to be sure. Only when he found no imbalance did his shoulders finally relax. He told her, "Emma, this stays between us and other mates. No one else can know." "I know." She meant it. She'd never told anyone before. Edric was the only one she trusted enough to speak it aloud, certain he'd never use it against her. Her strength returned quickly, but her limbs still felt heavy. She decided to pause the hunt for now.