Renny waved the settlers forward, and they began lining up in front of their respective ships. Like everything else on Adel Vice, boarding was a team effort. Renny and Doran stood at the base of each ramp, patting down the settlers for contraband. Once clear, the men and women continued up the ramp to the cargo hold, where Arabelle and Solara greeted them with a knapsack of food and toiletries. After that, the hired pilots and crew, who’d been paid with the titles to both mafia ships, took over, directing the settlers to their group quarters.
Cassia’s job was to stay in the camp with Gage and watch over those who weren’t ready to leave—the resistants, as she called them. These were the worst cases, three workers who’d grown so dependent on the inhalers that she’d had to stun them before beginning treatment. Kane was one of the three, along with an enormous fighter from the pit and a woman with dozens of scars crisscrossing her forearms. It hadn’t been easy, but Cassia had kept them sedated with tranquilizers she’d stolen at gunpoint from two pirates. Every second of the risk had been worth the reward of watching Kane recover in peace.
She entered the makeshift tent of blankets loosely tied to palm trees, and continued to the mattress in the far corner, where she’d positioned Kane for the best cross breeze. After taking a seat on the sandy ground, she started her daily ritual of sponging the sweat from his face with rainwater from the cisterns, making sure to clean the scar on his throat. To conserve the cistern supply, she used seawater to wash his chest and beneath his arms. All the freshwater on Adel Vice came from a well on the pirates’ side of the resort, and she knew better than to ask them to share.
She noticed Kane’s color had returned, and while she moved each of his limbs to exercise them, she debated whether she should stop his sedative. By the last arm stretch, she decided the time had come, and she removed his intravenous line.
“I can do that,” Gage offered, poking his head inside the tent. “You should grab some lunch. There’s still plenty of—”
“Let me guess. Eggplant Parmesan?” That was all they’d eaten since the night of the attack, when someone had rescued a giant vat of it from a burning restaurant. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I stopped Kane’s meds, and I want to be here when he wakes up.”
“I stopped theirs, too,” Gage said, indicating the others. “It takes a while for the sedative to wear off. You’ve got time for a break.”
“That’s okay. I’m happy here.” She liked to think that Kane sensed her presence, so she never strayed too far from his side. She brushed back his hair and grinned at the blond roots pushing up from his scalp. His head resembled a zebra, blond on the bottom, black at the tips. “You’re getting a haircut when you wake up,” she whispered in his ear.
Outside, engines rumbled to life, followed by blowing thrusters that rippled the walls of the blanket tent. The noise intensified as it rose above the trees and then faded slowly into the distance. Doran ducked inside the tent while attacking a heaping bowl of food. With one cheek stuffed full, he pointed his fork at Kane in a silent question.
“He’s improving,” Cassia said, then recoiled from the smell of eggplant. “How can you keep eating that?”
“Because it’s damned delicious, that’s how.”
“Plus, it’s not beans,” Solara said, joining them. “No offense if you can hear me, Kane, but a girl can only take so much chili.”
Doran nudged his girlfriend. “Hey, that gives me an idea. Let’s load all the leftovers in the Banshee’s cooler before we leave.”
Cassia made a face. “Or not.”
“You’d better hurry,” Renny’s voice called from outside the tent. “Because your next job is loading our patients in the cargo bay. I want to be airborne by nightfall.”
“Midday’s even better,” Cassia suggested. Even with Ari Zhang dead and a shaky truce between the crew and the pirates, it wouldn’t be long before bounty hunters and hired mercenaries descended on Adel Vice to rescue the more influential guests trapped on the other side of the resort.
She sensed movement from the mattress, and all thoughts of pirates flew to her mind’s periphery as Kane began to stir. She tried to remember what she’d learned about grounding, a technique that was supposed to help him adjust more quickly by stimulating his five senses.
To evoke touch and smell, she took his face in her hands and leaned down, exposing him to the perfume microbes beneath her skin. Then she whispered his name to give him sound, and gently kissed his mouth so he could taste the salt on her lips. All that remained was sight, so she held her breath and waited as his eyes moved beneath their lids.
Finally, he blinked awake, and she exhaled into a smile.
“Hey there, sleepyhead,” she said softly. The stunner she’d used on him had probably worn off days ago, but to make sure, she asked, “Remember me?”
He narrowed his gaze for a moment as if trying to bring her into focus, and then a weak grin lifted the corners of his lips. “Cassy. I was just dreaming about you.”
His response filled her with so much happiness it leaked from her eyes and turned him into a wet blur. She helped him into a semisitting position and lifted a cup of water to his lips. “Was it a good dream?”
He drained the cup in three eager gulps and then took a moment to catch his breath before answering. “Kind of. We were skinny-dipping in the hellberry bog. Just when things were getting steamy, you stopped and said I needed a haircut.”
Her tears turned to laughter, and she ruffled his zebra hair. “Well, you do.”
“Hey, go back to that ‘steamy’ part,” Doran said, taking a knee beside the mattress. “That sounds interesting.”
Kane’s stomach grumbled, and he studied Doran’s bowl. “What you got there?” When Doran showed him, Kane turned his face away. “Smells disgusting.”
“More for me.”
Kane glanced beyond Doran and noticed the giant man asleep in the middle of the tent. His eyes brightened. “Cutter made it out of the pit.” He stretched his neck, peering farther, and smiled. “With his fingers. How about that.”
“You missed a lot,” Cassia said. Then she realized what day it was, and a nervous thrill passed through her. “In fact, the Eturian election took place today.” When his eyebrows rose, she filled him in on everything that’d happened back home, including the fact that his mother had been leading the rebellion. “I took the liberty of filling out your absentee ballot. I assumed your mom had your vote.”
“Not necessarily.”
That was sweet of him to say, but Cassia’s royal heritage guaranteed that she stood no chance of winning. “It’s pretty much a race between her and General Jordan.”
Kane wrinkled his nose. “I sure as hell don’t want his face on my currency.” Then he froze as if something had just occurred to him. “Wait, what are you doing here on election day? You should be home. Voters won’t trust you if you’re off world during the campaign.”
She shook her head.
“I mean it, Cassy. You should have gone back. I’ve been asleep this whole time anyway. I could’ve met you there.”
She cut him off with a lifted hand and told him the surest truth in her world. “I’m exactly where I need to be.” Then she planted a quick but firm kiss on his lips. “No more arguments.”
Solara snorted. “Right. I give it five minutes.”
Gage made his way to the mattress and crouched down, inspecting Kane’s eyes with a handheld light. “Your pupils are responsive. Are you feeling okay?”
“I think so.” Kane sat up all the way and experimented with his limbs, bending his knees and flexing his fingers. “I’m tired, but it’s not that bad. I feel like I just got over the flu. The last time I dried out I was so weak I couldn’t move.”
“Any, uh…cravings?”
“Not that kind. The only thing I want is a shower.” Kane’s stomach growled. “And a bowl of chili.” He smiled at Gage in thanks. “It looks like your injection worked.”
Doran captured his twin in a playful headlo
ck, scrubbing his knuckles over Gage’s scalp. “Of course it worked. My brother’s a genius.”
Gage shoved him off and grinned as he straightened his hair. “A genius who doesn’t trust pirates. Your captain’s right. We should start packing.” He glanced at the two other patients. “And load them on the ship before they wake up. I don’t think they’ll mind if the first thing they see is the inside of a cargo bay.”
“Trust me,” Kane said darkly. “They won’t mind.”
A beep sounded from Cassia’s new com-bracelet. She knew without looking it was Kane’s mother calling to check in on him. They’d discussed his progress every day. When she accepted the transmission, Rena’s hologram appeared from within the farmhouse, where it seemed a party was in full swing. Several people milled about in the background making celebratory toasts, including Jordan, who wore a bittersweet expression that made clear the election’s outcome. Cassia’s heart sank an inch. She’d expected Rena to win, but it still stung.
“Doodlebug,” Rena said with laughter in her eyes. No longer frail, she crouched down to Kane’s level and reached out as if to touch him. “You look so much better, baby.”
Kane’s cheeks turned pink. “You too, Mom.”
Cassia told her, “I take it congratulations are in order.”
Rena offered an apologetic smile, clearly trying to be humble until Meichael appeared in the frame and covered the back of her neck with kisses. Then she ducked aside with a laugh. “I wanted you to hear it from me first.”
“I appreciate that.”
“You did the right thing, Cassia. I won’t let us down.”
Cassia smiled. Rena was well respected and would make a strong leader—she knew that now. Though the loss prickled, an invisible weight lifted from her shoulders. She would never again have to send soldiers into battle or sacrifice her happiness in service to the colony. She would never have to settle down or stop exploring. The rebels weren’t the only ones who’d earned their independence today. For the first time in her life, she was free to choose her own destiny.
“I know you won’t.”
Kane took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Congratulations, Mom. I’m proud of you.”
“That goes both ways, Doodlebug.” She blew him a kiss and then let a group of well-wishers pull her out of the frame, at which point General Jordan strode forward to take her place.
“Arric,” he said with a nod at Kane. “Glad to see you’re okay.”
Kane mumbled something resembling a thanks.
“Cassia, same to you.” As Jordan shifted his focus to her, his gaze lingered in that old, familiar way. He seemed to catch himself and quickly added, “No rush on returning the Hypersonic cruiser you borrowed, just bring it back when you’re ready. I can’t wait to fly it. Is it as fast as they say?”
She cringed and glanced at the tent wall, beyond which lay the cruiser’s skeletal remains. She’d landed it in a safe spot, but that hadn’t stopped the pirates from stripping all of its useful parts before Doran had busted them and established the resort boundary.
Jordan’s smile fell. “Please tell me you didn’t wreck the cruiser.”
“Got to go. We’ll talk later.” She tapped her bracelet to end the call, and Jordan vanished in a flash of irritation.
Kane scowled. “I can’t stand that guy.”
“Me neither, Doodlebug,” called Renny from outside the tent.
Doran snorted and Solara giggled. Kane didn’t bother glaring at them. He had to know a nickname that precious was bound to stick.
“Jordan’s not so bad,” Cassia said. “He came through for us in the end.” At the irritated look Kane gave her, she added, “At least you won’t have to see his face on your currency.”
“Thank god for small favors.”
She supposed the big question now was, What next? She’d been so preoccupied with Kane’s recovery that she hadn’t given much thought to what she would do if she lost the election. One option was to go home. Eturia was a free republic, so she and Kane were equals in every way. He could build a career in the clerk’s office, and she could probably persuade Rena to give her a job within the government. But picturing that life made her feel more claustrophobic than excited.
She wanted more.
Gage broke into her thoughts when he spoke from the other end of the tent, where he was smoothing healing accelerant onto the arms of the woman in white. “For what it’s worth, my job offer still stands—for all of you.” He glanced at Cassia. “A former queen would make an amazing emissary advisor. I can’t change the galaxy alone, you know.”
Change the galaxy.
His choice of words struck her. Maybe Kane had been right all along and they should work with Gage. She couldn’t imagine Renny would say no. They would change thousands of lives that way—just look at what they’d accomplished with Gage in the few months since they’d combined their skills.
“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” she said. “Since we started working together, we cured a disease, rescued hundreds of abducted settlers, took down Marius, and toppled an intergalactic mafia.”
Kane chuckled. “Some of it in our sleep.”
“So you’ll consider it?” Gage asked, perking up and glancing all around. “Joining my team?”
“You know I’m in,” Doran said as Solara threaded her arm through his and nodded in agreement. “On one condition,” he added. “I won’t work with Mom. I don’t want anything to do with her.”
“Not a problem,” Gage told his brother. “She spends so much time lobbying for government contracts on Earth that she practically lives there.”
Cassia worked a grain of sand between her fingers and tried to think of a way to broach the topic of Shanna without sounding jealous. “Maybe Kane could travel with us instead of with the third-sector sales team.”
“Oh, with Shanna, you mean?” teased Kane right before he recycled her words about Jordan. “She’s not so bad.”
Cassia probed his upper arm. “Does it hurt here?”
“No. My laser wound’s on the other side. Why?”
She made a fist and slugged him hard.
“Yes!” Solara pumped her arms in the air. “Five minutes! I was right!”
Kane grumbled to himself, rubbing the spot. “I can’t believe I fell for that.”
“Me neither.” Cassia winked. “Want me to kiss it and make it better?”
A spark of mischief lit his gaze as he tapped his bottom lip. “This is where it hurts. Really bad. The pain is excruciating.”
Doran and Solara shared a groan and made for the exit while Gage followed behind, mumbling something about packing supplies.
“I thought they’d never leave,” Kane whispered. He cupped her face in one hand as his eyes turned soft. “I’m sorry you lost the election. Thank you for staying with me.”
Cassia wasn’t sorry. She’d meant what she’d said before—there was no place she’d rather be than inside this grubby tent with him. “Thank you for choosing me.”
“Of course. Was there any doubt?”
Yes, there had been, on the beach before she’d stunned him. The struggle between the drug and his heart had played out so clearly on his features that she’d feared she had lost him forever. But she didn’t want to think about that, so she kissed his forehead and held him close. “You know I love you, right?”
He murmured against her throat, “I love you, too, Cassy,” and his words lit her up inside because the only other time he’d spoken them was under the influence of an inhaler. And that didn’t count.
“Tell me again.”
He did, over and over and over, until the other patients began to stir and she pulled away, not out of embarrassment, but to protect the moment and keep it private.
“So what now?” she said, brushing a thumb over his cheek. She hadn’t thought to ask him whether he still wanted to work for Gage. Kane had spent most of his life following her from one crisis to the next, and she didn’t want that for him
anymore.
They were partners now—all in.
He made a show of thinking it over, then suggested, “How about a shower?”
Laughing, she gazed at her best friend, the boy whose shine had warmed her heart for so many years that she’d briefly gone blind to it. Now her eyes were open, and she saw him clearer than ever.
“That sounds like a good place to start.”
MELISSA LANDERS (melissa-landers.com) is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.”
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