I rub my eyes. “Nothing so far.”
Mathias is programming the ship’s shield to defend us. Deep Space is full of hazards—pirates, foreign surveillance drones, cosmic radiation, stray junk, and debris. He says if we’re threatened, this bullet-ship will fly faster than a Capricorn can think—and it even has a cloaking veil. He was surprised he could hack the controls, considering the sophistication of the computer system.
“We’re entering the Double,” says Mathias from the helm. “Have you planned what you’ll tell them?”
“No clue.” I float upright and stretch my spine, staring out at real Space through the ship’s nose. “Apparently I’m no good at this.”
“Actually, you can be pretty forceful sometimes.”
Still facing away from him, I say, “I haven’t convinced you.”
He doesn’t speak for so long that I worry I’ve offended him. “Rho.” At the sound of his low baritone, I turn to find him floating just a few feet behind me. “I listen to everything you say.”
“That’s not it,” I say, shaking my head. I struggle with the words. I want to tell him I know he’s loyal and will always support me, but his allegiance only makes things worse. If sense of duty, and not trust, is what compels him to follow me, then I’m forcing his free will—and how is that better?
But I can’t say any of it. Sometimes Mathias makes me so angry that I’ll revert into a toddler who can’t form sentences. I wonder if it’s because we stayed silent for so many years that now we don’t know how to talk to each other.
“I need to keep looking, he could have attacked already,” I mumble, floating back to the Ephemeris. Our silence stretches longer, and soon Mathias is programming protections at the helm again, and I’m scanning the black opal’s imitation Space.
The engines emit a quiet hum, and the piloting screens flicker soft blue light. The map revolves above me hypnotically, and after a while, I give up. Ochus isn’t coming.
“My lady.”
My head jerks up, and I nearly do a somersault in midair.
There’s a guy with white-streaked blond hair and large green eyes coasting into our ship’s glass nose. His expensive suit bears the Libran coat of arms.
“What . . . what are you doing here?” I ask, reaching out to touch Hysan Dax, to see if he’s real.When my hand is in front of him, he holds it and kisses my skin again. An Abyssthe-like rush shoots up my veins.
“Happy to already be of service.”
Mathias eases in front of me, shielding my body with his. He’s holding some kind of device in his palm, oval-shaped and silver bright. A weapon?
“I scanned this ship,” he says in a clipped, military voice, pointing the device at Hysan. “How did you stow away?”
“You misunderstand.” Hysan’s face is still pleasant, but his eyes harden when they land on Mathias. “You’re on my ship.”
Mathias draws himself up, ramrod straight in midair. “Emergency requisition. You were notified to vacate.”
Hysan’s centaur smile widens. “Equinox is a Libran emissary ship. You can’t confiscate diplomatic property.”
“By galactic law, this ship is under emergency orders from the Cancrian Zodai Guard.” Mathias bites off his words in sharp, precise syllables. “Please get to your capsule, and we’ll launch you in any direction you choose.”
“Or maybe I’d prefer to launch you.” The pleasantness in Hysan’s face flashes dangerously. A different expression rises to the surface, a counterbalance to his charm.
I’ve never seen Mathias lose his composure, but a muscle in his cheek is quivering. I use the handrail to pull myself between them. “Hysan, we’re sorry we took your ship. We’re on an emergency mission, and I hate that in our haste we’ve put you in danger. Please get in your capsule, and we’ll return your ship to you when we’re done.”
I swallow, thinking of darker outcomes. “Or Cancer will send you an IOU.”
Hysan bursts into laughter, and his return to good humor is so genuine that he seems to radiate warmth. “An IOU,” he repeats, his cheeks still dimpled and his eyes looking at me in a way I’ve never been looked at before. Like I’m someone who might amaze him.
Then he turns to the screen on the wall nearest him, presses a few buttons, and suddenly my hand is heavy with gravity, and my feet hit the ground—as does Mathias’s Wave, my boots, and Mathias himself.
“Simulation gravity,” says Hysan, shrugging. “Makes things easier.”
Mathias stands and brushes himself off. He definitely looks impressed, even if he’ll never admit it out loud.
I cross my arms and stare at Hysan. “Where have you been this whole time? We’ve been flying for hours.”