Coldbloods (Hotbloods #2)

“By the way,” Lazar said after a few minutes, “have you thought about how you will explain my presence to the queen? I’m not sure if Orion briefed you on that.”

“I’ve thought about it,” Navan murmured, his eyes fixed on the board. “If she asks for details, I’ll tell her my own ship broke down—which is why I haven’t arrived back on it—and that I sent out a distress signal. You answered it, given that you were in the vicinity, doing whatever weird research it is that you supposedly do for your alchemy projects…”

Lazar sighed, but smiled wanly. “I believe she’ll buy that.”

Feeling unsettled again at the reminder of our imminent arrival, I left them to the game. Seeking another distraction, I allowed my curiosity to lead me to the box Lazar had delved into to fish out the board game. There were other things inside. I sat down beside it, rummaging around for anything interesting. After plucking out a scroll that grabbed my attention, I unraveled it to find a map of space, etched across the wide piece of waxy material.

Only, it didn’t look like any map of space I’d ever seen. There were familiar planets, dotted across the surface, but there were some I had never seen either. In one section, there were clusters of curiously named planets, each with a species listed beside it. Aliens, everywhere. I almost felt like laughing—all this time, Earth had thought aliens a mere theory, but here they were, written down in black and white. My eyes lingered upon the sight of my solar system, noting the lines that had been drawn between it and Vysanthe. Put on paper like that, it didn’t seem all that far.

Feeling fear begin to prickle through me once again, I placed the scroll back in the box, stood up and walked over to the door of the pod.

“Where are you going?” Navan asked, his head snapping up.

“Just the bathroom,” I said.

“I’ll come with you—” he began, but I cut him off.

“Navan, it’s okay. I’ll go on my own this time. Lazar did make it clear on the first day that no one should mess with us… I’ll scream if I need you.”

Navan glanced between me and the game board, then finally grunted and nodded reluctantly.

I found the narrow hallway empty, much to my relief, and hurried along to the bathroom at the far end. Catching my reflection in the mirror, I splashed my face with some water, hoping it might bring some life and color back to my tired, dull features. At least we’d been provided with fresh clothing—plain, dark outfits that were surprisingly warm—which must have been arranged by Orion. It would have looked too fishy arriving in Vysanthe in our old tattered clothes, not to mention they’d be stinky as hell.

After I’d finished my attempt at freshening myself up, I returned the way I’d come… only to pull up short just before reaching the doorway to Navan’s and my pod.

Kalvin was striding through the corridor, coming in the opposite direction. Knowing there was no place to run, I steeled myself against meeting him, and pressed on.

As I tried to pass him, however, I felt his hand grip my arm, pulling me back. Opening my mouth to scream, I jolted as no sound came out. Kalvin’s hand had clamped across my mouth, silencing me.





Chapter Fifteen





I tried to bite his hand but nearly broke my teeth in the process. A rookie error, I discovered; coldblood skin wasn’t like human flesh. It was shockingly tough.

“If you promise not to scream, I’ll let go,” Kalvin said, his tone surprisingly gentle. “I don’t mean you any harm. I just wanted to apologize for my behavior the other night.”

Wary but curious, I relaxed my jaw, nodding slowly. A moment later, I felt the hand around my mouth slacken, before it moved away entirely. Kalvin stepped back, his brow furrowed, like he expected me to do exactly what he’d asked me not to. Instead, I remained quiet, knowing I could always shout out if I needed to now that his hand was gone.

“Why should I trust a word you say?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

He smiled. “Because I’m a nice guy, really.”

I didn’t believe him, but he’d caught my attention. I wanted to hear what he had to say for himself. The horrible things the trio of coldbloods had said still haunted me.

“I doubt that,” I remarked.

“I am, really. I just… I get carried away sometimes,” he said… almost sheepishly. His dark brown gaze dropped to the floor. “It’s bravado. You know, something to impress the other guys.”

Why was he telling me this? Surely, if any of those “guys” heard him speaking like this, he’d be mercilessly teased, if not worse. Admitting it to me seemed like a weird thing to do, but then, what did I know of the inner workings of Vysanthean minds? Nothing, that’s what.

“Say I did believe you. It changes nothing. I don’t trust any of you,” I said coldly, wanting to be back in the safety of my pod.

He nodded. “I can understand why. I just wanted to come by and see if you were okay. This mission is a crazy one, right? I can’t even imagine how you’re feeling about it. You’ve left your world behind, to head into the unknown—you’re a braver person than me.” He flashed me a grin.

Was he… flirting with me? It certainly felt like it. Perhaps this was a ruse to try to bring down my defenses. And yet… it appeared oddly genuine. There was a sincerity on Kalvin’s face that hadn’t been there the other day, and it was confusing the hell out of me.

“I’m a bit concerned, as anyone would be,” I replied, not wanting to give too much away. Besides, he didn’t know that I had to be here, thanks to Orion’s chip.

“I just figured you might want to talk about it, since we’re all in this together. I know it didn’t seem like it the other day, but we are. We know it’s going to be tough, and I wanted to make sure you were doing okay,” he continued.

I frowned. “You think we’re some sort of team?” I said, stifling a tight laugh.

He shrugged. “It’s what we’ve been put here to do. We all behaved like idiots the first day, but you should know we’ve all got your back.” I could barely believe my ears. “Plus, I’ve heard what Navan’s like from his uncle—he never talks about anything. So I figured you might be in need of a shoulder to vent on.”

Of all the people in all the world, Kalvin was the last person I’d feel like pouring my heart out to, and yet there was something compelling about him when he was being serious like this. He was trying—I could see it in his face.

So I decided to humor him.

“Well, I’m worried. I’ve never so much as left my country, never mind the planet,” I said. “I don’t know what to expect. Everyone and everything sounds so cold and harsh on Vysanthe, so I’m not exactly looking forward to it.”

Just then, I felt a hand on my shoulder, pulling me sharply away from Kalvin. I jolted backward, almost losing my footing. Turning, I saw Navan’s face looming above me, his slate eyes glowering in the direction of the blond-haired coldblood.