Page 93 of Star Bringer
I frown. “Three of you?”
“Yeah. Me, Ian, and Milla.”
I think about that for a second. “So Milla is your sister?” Why hadn’t I realized that before? Max and Ian do have similarly dark skin and dark hair, but so do a lot of people. The two never struck me as siblings before now.
There’s that flash of something again. But I’m too caught up in the conversation to analyze it too closely. “Who did you think she was?” he asks, studying me.
I hadn’t thought about it too much. Clearly, she’s someone Ian cares about a lot, and maybe I hadn’t wanted to know the gory details.
He grins. “Did you think she was his girlfriend?”
“I didn’t think at all.” I sniff. “And why would I care if she was?”
“Oh, I think you care, Princess. A lot more than you want me—or him—to know. But for your information and absolutely no other reason, Ian has never had a serious partner.”
As if that means anything to me. The warm, fuzzy feeling deep inside me is just because of the alcohol. “So, tell me about Milla. Obviously, Ian is the obnoxious asshole; you’re the nice, goofy one. What’s Milla like?”
Max’s smile flashes as bright as a solar flare. “She’s the clever one. She got all the brains.”
“I don’t believe that. You seem pretty smart yourself.”
He laughs. Hard. “I notice you don’t say the same about Ian.”
“He’s smart, too. He’s just…”
“Impulsive,” Max fills in. “Pugilistic. Completely without common sense.”
“All of the above.” I study him closely. “So Milla’s not like that?”
“Well, the pugilistic part is something they have in common.” He gives an amused shake of his head, like he’s remembering some funny thing that happened in the past. “But the rest, no.”
“She sounds…” I search for a word and settle on, “amazing.”
“She is,” he tells me, sounding sadder than I’ve ever heard him. “She’s everything.”
I reach over and squeeze his hand. “I really hope you find her.”
“We will.” I can hear the conviction in his voice, and the last thing I want to do is put any doubt in his mind. But how can he even be sure she’s alive? It’s been months since she was taken, and the Senestris system is a dangerous place. I’ve learned that over the last few days.
He pats my leg. “Anyway, try not to worry too much. Once we’ve found Milla, we’ll get you home.”
“And if I don’t want to go home?” I ask.
His eyes turn watchful. “Don’t you?”
“Beckett sprung a lot on me today. I don’t know what I want. I just know I don’t want to be dead weight. I want—” I want my mom to not be a monster. I want there to be an explanation for the things Beckett said. The things I saw on Rangar. But what explanation could there possibly be?
My head is whirling with a million questions that I don’t know the answers to. Questions that I’m not sure there evenareanswers to.
I don’t say that, though. I can’t. So instead I ask, “Why are you so much nicer than Ian?”
But Max just grins. “I’m not. But you can feel free to tell him that the next time you see him.”
“So he can hit you, too? No, thank you.” I shudder.
“Ian and I’ve gone a round more than a few times,” he answers. “It always works itself out.”
“Before anyone ended up needing medical attention?” I ask archly.
