Page 122 of Star Bringer
My stomach settles once everything is covered, but it still hurts. A lot. Max hands me some painkillers and a glass of water while Ian gives me another jab—in the arm this time. “To stop any infection,” he tells me.
Then I’m done.
He goes to the bottom of the bed and covers me with a blanket. At least the shivering has stopped, but as soon as I’m alone, I’m going to get out of what remains of my wet jumpsuit.
He tucks me in. Aw. We really have come a long way.
“Why don’t you try and rest,” he says. “While we go and work out what the fuck we’re supposed to do next.”
It’s a good suggestion, but I don’t want to be alone right now. “I can’t rest yet. My head is whirling. And I want to help figure out what to do. As the one who’s come closest to dying—twice—I think I have a pretty high stake in this.”
Surprisingly, Ian doesn’t argue with me. Instead, he shrugs and says, “Fair enough.”
“Make yourselves comfortable, people.” Max looks at Beckett. “Is there anything you need to do?”
She shakes her head. “No, we’re in orbit. Too high to be picked up from the planet. So, we’re good for now.” She turns to Ian. “I take it you didn’t find your friend?”
“No. She’s gone.” His voice is as empty as his eyes. “She’s in the Wilds. Trafficked to one of the asteroids.”
“Shit. That’s not good. You want me to set a new course?”
“Not yet.”
Ian blows out his breath and moves away from me. There’s a counter along the opposite wall, and he leans against that, then looks around. “Before we do anything else, we’ve got to come up with a plan.”
Chapter 47
Kali
“You mean besides not dying?” Max says. “Because that’s pretty much my plan at this point.”
“It’s a good plan,” Beckett agrees. “Completely solid.”
“Yeah, well, the odds that we make it out of this are going down fast.” Ian runs a tired hand down his face. “Which is why we need an actual plan.”
“I think that plan should involve heading to Serati,” Merrick suggests, and I kinda can’t believe he still thinks anyone will agree with him at this point. “The monastery offers sanctuary and protection.”
“Yeah, because it would be so hard for professional mercenaries to raid a building full of sisters,” Gage drawls. It’s the most confrontational thing I’ve ever heard him say, but he does seem a little high on pain meds right now. I should know. I’m getting there myself pretty quickly.
I’m starting to feel all kinds of floaty, and I can’t say it’s a bad thing. My toes are tingling, and so are my lips. Still, when nobody else has anything more to say, I decide to ask the question I’ve been wondering about since we tried to bribe that guy on Glacea.
“How much do mercenaries cost?”
“Why? You thinking about hiring one?” Beckett asks, brows raised.
“If I did, I know who I’d ask them to kill first.” The second the words leave my mouth, I feel bad. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
But she just grins, and for once it seems to be reflected in her eyes. “Don’t back down now, Princess. Looks like getting shot agrees with you.”
I grimace. “I don’t think I’d go that far.” But the floaty feeling is spreading fast, and a lot more than my toes are tingling right now.
“More like the pain medication,” Max says wryly.
No arguments from me on that front. This feeling is totally bizarre—and also pretty wonderful at the same time. Part of me wants it to go away so I can think, and part of me is grateful to be free of pain.
That doesn’t mean I don’t owe Beckett an apology, though. Human decency is human decency. “I am sorry. It was a terrible thing to say, and I didn’t mean it.”
And I may have butted heads with Beckett, but I finally feel as though I understand her. Plus, now that I’ve learned what the Corporation does with its prisoners, it’s a small silver lining that it’s only because theCaelestisblew up that Beckett isn’t already on her way to the Wilds.
