Julian did not try to pull free again once they were out of the room.
It was not surrender. It was calculation.
Lucian's grip on his wrist remained firm as he led him through the corridor, his pace steady, his attention fixed ahead as if the decision had already been made long before Julian ever had a chance to object. The facility around them had settled back into its usual silence, but Julian could still feel the charge of the last few minutes moving under his skin, sharp and unsettled, refusing to ease.
They passed two turns, then a narrow access hall Julian had not noticed on the way in. Lucian pressed his hand to a panel beside an unmarked door. Something clicked inside the wall, and the lock released.
Julian looked at the door, then at Lucian.
"So you know this place too."
Lucian opened it and guided him through without answering.
The room beyond was smaller than the lab Rebecca had taken him to, but it carried a heavier sense of control.
