Critical Mass

In Sector 4, clean air is a luxury, but magic is a toxic waste. Sutton is a Scrubber. In the subterranean bowels of a city powered by volatile "Aetherium," her life is worth less than the hazmat suit she wears. Her job is simple: mop up the lethal magical spills that leak from the upper levels, keep her head down, and don't ask questions. Gage is a Conduit. Isolated in a lead-lined penthouse, he isn't just a man; he is a living nuclear reactor, genetically modified to filter the city's raw energy. He is unstable, dangerously powerful, and lethal to anyone who gets too close. A single touch from him doesn't just burn—it obliterates. When a containment breach forces Sutton into Gage's high-security quarters, she expects to find a monster. Instead, she finds a man broken by his own power, starving for a connection he can never have. Assigned to be his personal cleaner, Sutton enters a terrifying game of forced proximity. Separated only by a layer of glass and reinforced synthetic fabric, the heat between them rises faster than the radiation levels. But as Sutton scrubs away the toxins, she uncovers a conspiracy in the waste logs: Gage isn't leaking energy by accident. The Corporation is poisoning him. Now, Sutton has to make a choice that violates every safety protocol in the book: keep her distance and survive, or strip off the suit to save the weapon of mass destruction who is falling in love with her. He is the city's power source. She is the only one who can handle the fallout.