Just You

"How do we get up there?" Penelope asked, craning her head to stare up at the lotus, curious as to what its purpose truly was if Zagan had reserved it for the most powerful alyko. Would he try to put August there?

"The elevator," he said slowly, deliberating on whether or not he should just pick her up and bypass the elevator all together.

He could jump up to the lotus platform with her in his arms, and it would take only a moment. The benefit of that would be avoiding any falls or errant sharp pieces of glass that might accidentally slice into her skin if she were to make a wrong move. But she was already moving toward the elevator door, and a muscle feathered in his jaw as he watched her walk so confidently as if she couldn't just slip at any moment.