Edric's gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a face twisted in dark rage and a destructive madness that threatened to consume everything. He glared at Damian, his black-violet eyes rimmed with crimson. "You're right. If my secret arts had finished sooner, Emma would be safe." Damian hadn't meant to push Edric this far. He knew Edric was consumed with worry for Emma. "Don't beat yourself up over this, Edric. I know you want to save Ms. Tibarn more than anyone. "Our beast marks are still intact, which means Ms. Tibarn is safe for now. This forest isn't that big. I've already called my people. With them and your Interstellar Hunter Alliance team, we'll find her soon." Damian was frantic too, but he kept a clearer head than Edric. As long as their marks held, Emma was safe for the moment. Still, they had to locate her immediately. The memory of Emma holding off the Rank 11 Chitinid and screaming at him and Edric to run filled him with a painful mix of heartache and fierce admiration. He had never seen a female risk her life for a male. As soon as he finished speaking, a purplish-black serpent tail whipped out and struck him. Damian was sent flying before he managed to regain his footing. "Edric, are you insane?" Damian shouted, staring at the frenzied male with shock and fury. Edric lunged, seizing Damian by the throat, his crimson eyes burning with murderous intent. "I was wrong, but you—keeping your rank and identity secret while getting close to Emma—you're no better!" Pinned against a tree, Damian struggled to speak as Edric's grip tightened. "I'm Ms. Tibarn's suitor. If you kill me, she won't forgive you when she comes back." Edric's hands squeezed even harder. Just as Damian was about to black out, Edric released him and hurled him to the ground. "You'd better pray that Emma is safe. If she's hurt, I swear I won't let you get away with this." "Cough… cough…" Clutching his throat, Damian coughed weakly. He crumpled on the ground, looking up at Edric. "If she really gets hurt, you won't need to lift a finger. I won't forgive myself either." … Meanwhile, Emma drove her Gravicar out of the valley and back into the forest. The trees grew thick here, and many areas pulsed with unstable energy fields that made the Gravicar useless. She pulled the carsick Coalball out of the vehicle. Just as she stored the Gravicar in her band, a black figure suddenly appeared not far ahead. Emma tensed instantly, every sense on high alert. Lucien, his wings grabbed by Emma at her waist, felt terribly dizzy. With his abilities gone, he failed to notice the sudden appearance of the black figure. He had never met a female who drove so horribly. Even the soldiers under his command—the ones who flew warships and tossed their comrades around like beasts during drills—weren't this bad. That beat-up old Gravicar looked like something built two centuries ago. Was that thing seriously still in production? Lucien was uncomfortable in his current position. He shifted uneasily in Emma's hand, wanting to move somewhere more comfortable, maybe her shoulder, so he could rest. Before he could move, Emma tapped him lightly on the head. "Don't move. There's danger."Her cautious tone instantly silenced him, though he was annoyed by the tap. Alerted by Emma, Lucien finally noticed the black figure standing ahead. Even in the dim light and at that distance, he recognized the male instantly. It was the lunatic lord of Drakonid. What the hell was Drake doing on F-268 instead of lounging in the Thalassian Palace? Lucien couldn't let Drake notice him. Instinctively, he shrank deeper into Emma's palm. Emma still couldn't make out who the figure was. Since he hadn't turned around, she tried to quietly retreat. But the moment she moved her foot, the figure spun and appeared right in front of her in the blink of an eye. "Why were you running from me?" Drake's gaze locked on Emma, his sharp eyes sweeping over her from head to toe. Then, he pulled out a pink healing potion and held it out to her. "Good thing you're not badly hurt. Drink this." "Drake?" Recognizing her familiar suitor, Emma finally let out a breath of relief. She didn't take the potion right away. "What are you doing here? You were so far away earlier, I couldn't tell who it was. I thought it was another terrifying Chitinid!" She'd been scared out of her mind. When she still didn't take the potion, Drake uncapped it, gently lifted her chin with his slender fingers, and poured the liquid down her throat. Emma was left speechless by the gesture. Meeting Emma's blazing glare, Drake nervously averted his eyes, his voice low and soft as he tried to explain. "The potion will heal your injuries faster. I'm leaving F-268 soon, but before I go, I need you to give me another mental comfort session.""So you came all the way here just for that?" Emma rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you just say so?" If he'd said that, she would have obediently taken the healing potion herself. The healing potion Drake gave her was potent. Just a few minutes after drinking it, Emma felt like all her injuries had completely healed. Drake didn't explain further. The truth was, he had rushed here because his subordinates reported that Emma had run into a Rank 11 Chitinid.