Page 63 of Beautiful Prey

His breath catches. “That’s not math.”

“No. It’s the only part that isn’t.”

Something like a laugh slips out of him, and I hold him until it passes.

“We’ll find an answer,” I tell him. “We always find an answer. But not tonight. Tonight you sleep, and I eat Mrs. Varga’s soup so she doesn’t skin me. The answer can wait until morning, like everything else.”

“Promise you’ll eat.”

“I promise.”

“Promise you won’t go see him alone.”

I hesitate. “I promise.”

He’s asleep before he can make me promise a third thing, which is a mercy, because the third thing would have been the one I couldn’t keep.

11

ASH

Calder is hot as fucking balls.

Heat rolls off the landing pad in shimmering waves even before the shuttle doors have fully opened. Beyond the port, the city lies low and flat beneath a bleached sky, mine towers rising above the rooftops like black ribs.

Ryven shields his eyes from the glare. “Light. Does this planet have shade?”

Seren shoulders his bag. “Probably underground.”

“Jeez, that’s really fucking helpful.”

I look past them toward the mining districts. “This is where he lives.”

Ryven follows my gaze, taking in the towers, the processing lines, and the dust hanging over everything. “And he crossed half the Reach for his brother.”

“Yeah.” Someone cut Jade out of the Hunt while I was unconscious, and I still don’t know who or why.

Between escaping the hospital before anyone could introduce me to my fiancé and getting my ass to Calder, I haven’t had time to find out who.

I will.

A holo-cab lifts us into the express lane, leaving the trams below crawling through the dust as the shift changes.

An hour later, we’re standing in the only hotel that looks like it belongs on Tempest instead of Calder. Polished marble catches the light beneath our feet, and cold air spills through hidden vents as conversations around us falter just long enough for people to look, look away, then pretend they hadn’t looked at all.

The clerk recovers first. His smile appears a heartbeat late, though his eyes keep drifting back to Seren. “Welcome to the Solstice.” He clears his throat and forces his attention down to the desk. “Your reservation?”

Ryven slides a slate across the counter.

The clerk blinks. “You’ve booked the whole penthouse level?”

“Apparently we like our privacy.”

“Right. Of course.” His gaze flicks back to Seren, then drops to the slate. “Nothing’s been prepared for your arrival yet, sir. We weren’t expecting you until⁠—”

“We’re actually looking for someone,” I cut in.

He finally looks at me. “Someone, sir?”