“Hope so.” No one wanted to set down on an asteroid while leaking life support.
Her grip tightened on his hand.
Bastien didn’t say a word. He was too busy holding his breath as they dodged more fire.
By the time they hit a planet, even Ryn was cursing as most everything had begun short-circuiting. Which meant they hit the ground so hard, it rattled every bone in their bodies. Parts of the ceiling came free and crashed down around them.
Bastien smelled the burning wires and fuel.
Shit! They were going up in flames. His heart hammering, he moved to check on Iskander. “Can you move?”
He nodded. “Get to Ember.”
Bastien left him to check on her.
She was unconscious. Worse? Her harness had been damaged on impact and wouldn’t release. He pulled out his knife and began to saw on the straps. But because they were made to be fireproof and impact proof, they didn’t give.
The smoke thickened. His eyes burned and blurred his sight. Choking on the fumes, he tried the release again. It was still jammed.
Damn it!
Fire crackled and popped. His ears buzzed from his elevated blood pressure and he tasted bile as his panic rose up to choke him. “Come on, baby,” he breathed. “Don’t you dare leave me. You can’t do that to Florian. He’d never forgive you for making me his only parent. I’ll screw him up on my own. You know I will. I’m grossly incompetent. I’ll be feeding him sweets for breakfast. Letting him wear things you’d kill us both for. He’d never have a bedtime and we’d both be surfing for porn together.”
“Don’t you dare corrupt my baby!”
He smiled at her irate tone. “Knew that’d revive you better than smelling salts.”
She grimaced at him. “You always know just what to say to piss me off.”
“That I do.” He kissed her lips as a section of the ship fell down around them.
Finally the belt came free.
Scooping her up in his arms, he ran as fast as he could.
He’d barely reached the door when the ship blew apart and sent a shock wave that pitched him forward, onto the burning grass.
Bastien covered her with his body and prayed nothing rained down on her.
Ember groaned as pain throbbed through every last bit of her body. It wasn’t helped by Bastien’s unholy weight on top of her, but she understood why he was there.
“Are you okay?” she asked him.
He nodded.
Thank the gods.
She had no idea what she’d do if she lost him again.
Bastien rose slowly, then helped her up. Iskander was sitting a few feet away, along with Ryn, Quin, and Myrna, and Ryn’s crew.
“We lose anyone?” Bastien asked.
“No, thank the gods.” Ryn let out a tired breath. “But the Cruel Victory is toast.”
Yra patted him on the back. “You better call your mother and wife or they’ll be headed this way as soon as their alarms sound.”
Cursing, he reached for his link to obey her.
Quin held his wife as he surveyed the damage. His face was pale and haunted. As if reliving a nightmare.
“You all right?”
He shook his head at Bastien’s question. “I don’t want any part of this, ever again.”
Bastien gaped at him. “What the fuck is your problem?”
Quin shot to his feet to confront him. “What’s my problem? Everyone in my family was murdered! I have nothing left. What’s the point of fighting? There will only be someone else who comes along and tries to take it.”
Bastien did the one thing he’d never done in his entire life.
He backhanded his brother. “Fuck. You. Quin. You piece of shit! After all the lectures you gave me about being responsible? About growing up and not being self-absorbed? You dare sit there on the grave of our parents and let our people suffer under the hands of a madman?”
Stunned and furious, he gestured to Myrna. “Look at what Barnabas did to your wife. You think she’s the only one he’s harmed? He killed Ember’s parents and ours. We are Cabarros, you worthless dung-licking dog! You get up and you fight for your people. Your wife! Your child! That is what we do. That is who we are!” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I ever looked up to you. That our father held you out to me as the paragon of virtue by which I was always found lacking.”
Quin curled his lip. “Open your eyes, Bastien. We’re two people. What can we do?”
“Barnabas was one. And if you want to see what one man can do … watch me.”
Iskander rose. “I’m with you, brother.”
Ember blocked his path. “What are you planning?”
“Death. Mayhem. Massive dismemberment.”
She didn’t move for an entire minute. He was expecting her full argument.
Instead, she nodded. “Let’s go.”
Iskander scowled at them. “Out of curiosity … our ship is over there in flames. So how are you planning to get there? Mindhike?”
Bastien let out an irritated sigh. “You know, I’d be much more pissed off if I didn’t feel like having to tolerate you is some kind of karmic debt I’ve earned.”
Ember laughed. “We can hail my sisters.”
“All hail the Wildstars.”