Page 72 of Star Bringer
Beckett
I smooth the material down over my hips. I think I’ve always been thin, but now I’m positively scrawny. My hip bones jut out like I haven’t eaten a proper meal in… Well, tonight’s dinner was the best fucking thing I remember ever eating.
But the jumpsuit fits well, and I suspect—though there are gaps in my memories, so I might be mistaken—it’s the nicest thing I’ve ever owned.
Though Princess Kalinda bought it for me. Forme.
It’s a lot to get my head around. Maybe that’s what’s giving me a headache. Or more likely it’s whatever they did to me on theCaelestis.My thoughts are whirling, and I have to concentrate really hard or they get away from me. Sometimes it’s like pushing through fog. Though it’s cleared a little in the days since I escaped. Rain helps. So does the flying. In my cell, I longed for the freedom of space.
Fly Free.
It’s the rebel call.
I remember now.
I return to the bridge but hesitate just outside. Someone is laughing. It’s weird; I almost don’t recognize the sound. I glance inside. They’re sitting on the floor in a sort of circle, passing a bottle around, and they all look more than a little drunk. My eyes are drawn to Rain. She’s sitting cross-legged and looks amazing in the tight-fitting jumpsuit. It hugs her slender curves, while the color makes her eyes shine and her hair gleam like strands of sunlight against the dark material.
She’s smiling at something Max says to her. Next to her, her big friend is glowering. He’s clearly not too happy with the change, but then, if his job is to look out for her, then it probably just got a whole lot more difficult. She looks nothing like a priestess.
I remember the taste of her, like warm honey. The softness of her skin. The silky feel of her hair. The memories are like clearings in the fog.
She’s good. Maybe the only truly good person I’ve ever met. It shines from her.
Is that why I’m drawn to Rain? Am I hoping a little of that goodness will wear off on me?
I’ve no right to tarnish that goodness. Just because I can.
I tear my gaze from her, and it locks with another. Princess Kalinda’s. She raises a brow as she sees me hovering. Is she expecting a thank-you? Not happening. I barely even wanted to take the thing once I realized it was charity from the princess.
Hate. Hate. Hate.
The emotion pounds through my head.
I can’t forget everything she’s responsible for.
And that reminds me—I don’t belong here.
Not with these laughing, happy,wholepeople.
I back away and disappear into the shadows.
Where I belong.
Chapter 26
Ian
I drink straight from the bottle, enjoying the feeling as the heat slides down my throat. Not to mention the buzz in my head. It’s been a few hours since we started drinking, and though I’d never admit it out loud…I’m having fun.
Beside me, Kali holds out her hand for the bottle. I hesitate—her eyes are already glazing over—but then, it’s not my job to control her. She’s an adult; she can decide how much she drinks. Besides, she’s a cute drunk.
I hand her the bottle and let my gaze wander over her.
She looks seriously hot in that outfit. Like the dress I first saw her in, the jumpsuit accentuates her considerable charms, but it looks a hell of a lot easier to get her out of.
Not that I’m going there.
She leans in. This close, I can see the black circles around her silver irises. They’re sort of mesmerizing, like the color of starlight.
