He kissed her hard, maybe too hard, because she broke away and panted against his lips. For a moment, he worried she might change her mind, but then she arched her hips and made a noise that said she didn’t want this to end any more than he did.
She licked her lips and whispered, “Last time, okay?”
Kane nodded eagerly. Anything she said was fine with him. He repeated what he’d told her on a dozen breathless afternoons just like this, and what he hoped to keep telling her again and again for years to come.
“One more time.”
The next morning was business as usual in every way that mattered.
Cassia wasn’t cold to him. She didn’t deliver the silent treatment. In fact, she’d woken up an hour early to take over his breakfast duty, which was a nice gesture for her. But when they sat down to eat and he finally caught her eye, there was nothing in her expression to reflect what they’d done the day before.
She simply smiled at him and asked, “Did you sleep all right?”
He blinked at her. How could she be so flippant about this? Okay, so maybe they hadn’t gone all the way—she’d said no to that—but they’d done…other things. Things they hadn’t tried before. “Like a stone,” he said. But tonight’s sleep wouldn’t come as easily unless he could get certain things off his mind. “Thanks for making the porridge.”
“No problem.”
The conversation lulled after that, allowing dread to settle over him as he forced down his breakfast and wondered what was happening at home. Minutes later, Renny called his name through the overhead speaker.
“Report to the bridge for a video transmission,” Renny said. “And hurry. You’re going to want to see this.”
Kane didn’t have to ask Cassia to come with him. They both scrambled from the table and ran up the stairs to the pilothouse level. He paused at the threshold to brace himself for the worst. Only when he felt the warmth of Cassia’s hand did he take a step inside the bridge.
He stopped short.
There at the com center, grinning at him in full holographic definition, was his mother, very much alive and sitting beside her farmer friend as though nothing had happened. Kane stared at her in confusion. Her eyes shone with happiness, no longer shrouded by dark circles. She didn’t seem to be in pain. She wasn’t even sweating or trembling.
“It’s okay, Doodlebug,” she told him, and for the first time since Kane turned eleven, he wasn’t embarrassed by his nickname. “I feel better.”
His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. It took a few tries to unglue it. “But how?”
“A miracle,” the farmer said. “Last night she asked me to carry her outside so she could see the stars. We spent the night in the pasture, and when I woke up this morning, I thought she would be—” Emotion choked him, and he stopped to plant a kiss on her temple. He couldn’t seem to stop touching her. He gripped her shoulders, stroked her hair, cupped the back of her neck.
Then Kane understood. The man was in love.
His mother pressed a hand to her heart. “The spirits heard my prayers and healed me. I can eat again, anything I want.”
“It’s true,” the farmer said. “She’s a bottomless pit today. Six eggs so far.”
Kane shared a sideways glance with Cassia, who touched the Eturian prayer necklace tucked beneath her shirt. As grateful as he was for his mother’s recovery, he didn’t believe in miracles. There had to be a connection between the night air and her sudden revival.
“What about the others who are sick?” he asked. “Are they better, too?”
The farmer considered for a moment. “A few of my field hands look healthier today. Less shaky. I can’t speak for anyone else, though.”
“Spread the word that anyone with symptoms should spend the day outside,” Kane said. “Let’s see if that helps.”
Cassia spoke up from beside him. “And tell them to keep track of where it’s making a difference. I’d like to know if refugees in the city are seeing the same effects.”
The farmer agreed to radio the next day with an update. Before they ended the transmission, Kane told the man, “Wait. I never asked your name.”
“I’m Meichael,” he said. “Meichael Stark.”
Kane couldn’t shake hands with a holograph, so he did his best to convey a look of respect. He didn’t know whether his mother loved this man, but he knew she was in good hands. “Thank you, Meichael.”
When the transmission ended, he turned to Cassia. “I want to talk to your general.” His instincts warned that his mother’s “miracle” was only temporary, and there would soon come a day when fresh air wouldn’t revive her. “We need to go over the plan and make sure it’s airtight.”
“It is airtight.”
“There might be an angle we missed. If Necktie slips through our fingers, we won’t get another shot at him.”
“But you and Jordan don’t play nice.”
“I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“Fine.” She held up a warning finger. “But one snarky word and I’m cutting off the transmission.”
“If anyone pokes the bear, it won’t be me,” Kane promised. As they made their way out of the bridge, he gave her a playful shoulder bump. “He’s our general now.”