Page 71 of Star Bringer
“Kali bought them for you.”
She glances behind me—presumably at the princess—and her frown deepens. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, come on—she picked the perfect color for you.” I nudge her playfully.
I can tell that Beckett wants to look inside the bag…badly. But the distrust festering in her eyes when she looks at Kali again seems to be winning out.
“Why don’t you go get changed? Won’t it be a relief to get out of that thing?”
“I…I guess.” She still seems a little shell-shocked. But she clutches the bag as she heads out of the room. “Don’t fuck with my ship,” she snarls at Ian on her way out the door.
“No promises,” he shoots back. But he makes no move toward her pilot’s chair, so I sit in it and twirl around a few times, feeling like I just won something significant. Again, I remember that I’m sitting in a pilot’s chair…on an alien artifact…flying through space. What even is this life?
The spinning makes my head swim, which isn’t a bad thing. But then someone grabs the back and stops me mid-twirl.
“Merrick,” I murmur, knowing who it is without even turning around. “Don’t you think I look…” I try to come up with a word.
He studies me with half-closed eyes. “Extremely secular? Yes, I do. Is that really what you want?”
“Don’t be a spoilsport, Merrick. My robe was wet and dirty and…white.” I squint up at him. “Anyway, you’re not wearing your robe anymore, either.”
“That was a little different,” he tells me.
“Was it?” I gently remove his hands from the chair and spin around again. “Why did I never notice before that you were so handsome, Merrick?”
He just frowns at me while he shakes his head. “I think you’ve had enough to drink.”
“Oh, no, I haven’t. Notnearlyenough. I like gerjgin. When we get back to Serati, I’m going to ask Sister Grinor if we can have it in the monastery.”
His lips actually twitch. “I will look forward to that conversation.”
“And I’mhungry, Merrick. How am I hungry again?”
“There are cookies,” he tells me with a small smile. Apparently, his shock over the jumpsuit has faded.
“No! Really?”
I’m up and out of my seat in a flash. My sweet tooth is a well-known weakness, and Merrick often sneaks sweets into the monastery for me. I sniff out the cookies straightaway—not that it’s hard, as they’re sitting on the chair next to Max.
I don’t even ask if I can have one—I just help myself to a handful. Then sit on the floor with my back against the wall to eat them. Delicious.
“I like the new look,” Max tells me. He hands me another glass of gerjgin, and I swallow the whole lot before Merrick can confiscate it. No way am I giving up any cookies or any gerjgin if I can help it.
Max sits down on one side of me, while Gage sits on his other side. Ian and Kali sit across from us—after Ian snags the box of cookies. One more reason I like that guy.
“What’s with your friend?” Max asks, nodding toward Merrick, who is still standing. “He doesn’t look happy.”
“Merrick never looks happy. Merrick,” I call to him. “Come and sit down.” I pat the empty spot beside me. “I saved you a cookie.”
He shakes his head in exasperation, but to my surprise, he comes over anyway. He even grabs the last full bottle of gerjgin as he passes the table before slumping down beside me.
Without saying a word, he cracks open the bottle and takes a long pull. Then another and another.
I’m guessing he’s drowning his sorrows.
Also known as me.
Chapter 25
