Hotbloods 6: Allies

“You aren’t in charge of this ship, Stone,” Angie said coldly.

He shrugged. “Maybe not, but ye need me more than I need you.”

Lauren looked to him with sad eyes. “What are you saying, Stone?”

“I’m sayin’ I won’t help a one of ye until I get me crew back. You gotta understand, Ren—what yer askin’ me to do is the same as me askin’ you to leave yer pals behind. I can’t do it.”

I wanted to tell him that he’d already asked her to do that when he kidnapped her, but I held my tongue. Getting into a different argument with Stone wouldn’t do us any favors right now, not when he was already being stubborn.

“And we won’t change your mind?” Ronad asked.

“’Fraid not.”

“Stone, will you just listen to me for a second! I wasn’t finished talking,” I snapped, losing my patience. As much as I hated wasting time, I knew we had to reunite Stone with his crew. If we wanted an advantage over the rebels, we would need his powers. More than that, if we wanted to claw back a head start over Gianne, we were going to need whatever goods he had available from his years of scavenging and trading.

He held up his hands. “My bad, Ri. Tempers are flarin’, and I got all carried up in the flow. What more did ye have to say about it?”

“You and your crew have got something we need. So, as much as I hate to say it, we have to go to Glossa, regardless of the time it’ll take us to get there.”

Bashrik frowned. “What?”

“We’re going to have to give some time in order to buy ourselves more of it,” I explained.

Stone nodded in appreciation. “I remember now. Ye need to give this cruiser some juice, right?”

“Precisely.”

“An’ I’ve got the goods to make the juice?”

“I’m really hoping so.”

Lauren’s eyes brightened. “Are you talking about all that stuff in the cargo bay?”

“Bingo,” I replied. “Although, I’m not sure what he’s got, exactly. He just keeps saying he’s got ‘stuff.’ You’ve spent time on that ship—don’t suppose you can shed a little light on it?”

Lauren turned to me, looking hopeful. “Stone has been collecting all these different engine parts over the years. He steals them from people who don’t pay up. There’ll definitely be something in there that the guys can use to patch together a deep-space engine. He’s got power cells and mechanisms from species all across the universe.”

Ronad and Bashrik exchanged a look. “You might be a stubborn ass, but at least you’ve got the goods to back it up,” Ronad said, smiling.

“Ye’ve always gotta have the goods, pal. Always.”





Over the course of the next three days, Stone kept to himself, while the rest of us drifted aimlessly through the ship, spending our days together in the cockpit before retreating to bed each night. Everyone felt more hopeful, thanks to the news that Stone likely had what we needed to upgrade the engines. I was trying to feel more positive, too, but I worried that by the time we picked up his crew, souped up the engines, and returned to Earth, there was every chance we might still be too late. I’d caught Navan up with everything that had happened with the Rexombra, and the story seemed to warm him a little toward Stone, in addition to the news about the scavenger’s supplies.

On that first night, after the stressful events of the spy in our midst, I attempted to stay awake to figure out what Navan was doing, but as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light. Even with the stresses of Gianne playing on my mind, I couldn’t fight sleep, to the point where I began to wonder if someone had slipped something into my evening herbal tea.

On the second night, things had started off in the same manner. As soon as my head had hit the pillow, I’d drifted off into a fitful slumber, only to be awoken an hour later by a terrifying nightmare. In the fever of my dream, I’d seen the flickering Rexombra dangling from a cable above me. Her disintegrating body bristled with electrical currents as her rotting hand reached for my throat, her golden gaze turning milky white. My eyes blinked open with a start, and a cold sweat trickled down my forehead.

Staring at the wall opposite, my mind racing a million miles a minute, I couldn’t help wondering if there might be another spy hiding somewhere. I was pretty sure there wasn’t, but my brain was working overtime, conjuring up worst-case scenarios left, right, and center.

Wanting some comfort, I wriggled backward in bed, snuggling up to the familiar shape of Navan’s body. He slipped his arm around my waist, scooping me closer, making me feel safe. To be honest, I was surprised he was still alert enough to hold me, but I was glad he was. After what I’d been through that day, I needed to cuddle, even if we were both only half conscious.

Twenty minutes later, I was still wide awake with Navan’s arm wrapped around me, his grip getting looser by the moment. I’d stayed motionless in his embrace, not wanting to disturb him in case he’d fallen asleep. His breath was ticklish against the back of my neck, but I couldn’t tell if he was awake or not. Ordinarily, he’d mumble something or plant a gentle kiss on my shoulder, to let me know he was falling asleep, but there’d been none of that—he’d been too tired to even say a sweet goodnight.

Suddenly, he stirred, moving his arm away from me with such deliberate care that I knew he was trying to sneak off without me realizing. I stayed still, determined to trick him into believing I was asleep. This was the moment I was finally going to get to the bottom of what had been going on with him, and I wouldn’t rest until I’d figured it out.

I listened as he rolled out of bed and tiptoed across the room. He paused for a moment beside the bed; I could hear him standing there and felt his gaze drift across me. It was a peculiar sensation, with one half of my conscience urging me to open my eyes and ask him what was going on, while the other half insisted I keep them closed so I could catch him in the act of whatever he was up to. It was a bit deceitful to lie there silently, but after all his sneaking around, I doubted he’d have been honest with me anyway.

Only when I heard the whispering whoosh of the hatch did I turn and sit up, making sure he’d gone. Throwing back the covers, I jumped out of bed, put on slippers and a robe, and hurried after him, careful to keep a stealthy distance.

Hanging back, I watched him head all the way up into the main space, where the lights had since been fixed, before moving down the left-hand hallway. He kept going until he reached one of the doors in the middle of the corridor, where I knew nobody was staying. To my knowledge, it was just a spare function room that had more recently been used as a storage unit, full of boxes and disused furniture.

He entered the room alone, closing the door behind him. I waited a couple of minutes before creeping up the corridor after him, pausing beside the same door. My heart beating faster, terrified of what I might discover, I leaned in and pressed my ear to the hatch.

Inside, Navan coughed and spluttered, the wrenching noises rasping from his chest.

So, that’s his secret, I thought miserably, tears pricking my eyes. He’s sick… really sick. He must not want me to know; otherwise, he’d have said something.