Page 82 of Nansar
He went rigid, and I half-expected him to pull away. But then his arms rose, wrapping around me with careful pressure.
And the strangest thing happened. Nothing. No crawling revulsion under my skin, no desperate urge to flee. Just... warmth.
When had that changed?
The answer whispered through my mind even as I wondered. Nansar. It had always been Nansar. The way his touch had been reverent instead of demanding. The way he'd made me feel like my body was mine again, a sanctuary instead of a prison.
I pulled back enough to meet Ahrick's eyes. "Will you take care of Starfield for me?"
His brow furrowed. "The kuda? That irritating beast is nothing but trouble. Always underfoot, always whining for attention—"
Despite his grumbling, I could see the truth in his expression—he was as fond of the kuda as I was. I simply raised an eyebrow.
Something vulnerable flashed across Ahrick's face before he looked away. "Fine," he muttered. "The damn thing has grown on me. Like a particularly persistent fungus."
A real smile tugged at my lips for the first time in what felt like years. "Thank you."
My fingers found the small green stone in my pocket, its surface smooth and warm against my palm.
"Here." I pressed it into Ahrick's hand, folding his fingers around it. "This is a Welati stone. If you ever need help or sanctuary, find a Welati and show them this stone. They're friends."
Ahrick stared at the stone like I'd handed him something sacred, his throat working. When he looked up, his eyes gleamed with emotion he couldn't quite hide.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Thank you," I echoed. "For everything."
He nodded once, sharp and final, then stepped back with the stone clutched tight in his fist. "Go. Get him to that healer."
I spun and followed the stretcher as it glided toward the shuttle, stumbling over the broken ground. Nansar's blood still coated my hands—dark and tacky, settling into every line and crease of my palms like a stain that would never wash clean.
"This is going to be a fucking mess," Xabat grumbled, following me inside.
Despite everything, I felt my lips curve into something almost like a smile. "Yeah. Well. He's worth it."
Chapter 21
Nansar
The ceiling above me was wrong.
Not the rusted, hole-riddled tin of my shack on Palaydium, but smooth panels that glowed with soft luminescence. I blinked, trying to reconcile what I was seeing with what should be there. My body felt like it belonged to someone else—heavy, sluggish, as if I'd been sleeping for years rather than... how long?
When I tried to sit up, pain lanced through my chest, and my muscles screamed in protest. A med-bay. The realization came slowly, fighting through the fog in my mind. But not just any med-bay—the equipment surrounding me was leagues beyond anything on Palaydium. Diagnostic panels hummed their quiet songs, displays flickering with medical data I couldn't begin to decipher. The walls themselves seemed to breathe light, bathing everything in an otherworldly blue glow.
Was I dead?
Then memory crashed over me. Hewes. The gun. Chloe's face, frozen in terror. The weapon rising—so slowly, impossibly slowly—aimed at her heart. My body launching forward before thought could intervene, placing myself between the blast and the woman who had become my entire world. White-hot agony exploding through my chest, stealing breath, stealing everything.
I should be dead.
Slowly, carefully, I turned my head. More unfamiliar equipment lined the walls. Through a viewport, I spotted the telltale streaks of hyperspace—those familiar ribbons of light that meant we were traveling between worlds. And there, in a chair pulled close, was Chloe.
Asleep. Her head tilted at an angle that would leave her neck aching, dark shadows beneath her eyes speaking of long hours without rest. Her hand lay on the bed near mine, fingers slightly curled as if she'd fallen asleep trying to reach me.
My chest constricted—not with pain this time, but with something far more dangerous.
I lifted my hand, marveling at how such a simple movement could require so much effort. My fingers trembled as I reached for her, hesitating just a breath before letting them brush against her cheek.
