by K. T. Flores
“Put me down,” Tauri said under her breath, but he was too focused on his sister.
Kira wagged a finger at Cyril. “Oh, no you don’t! You decided to go through the Navarian ports even though I told you not to. I said something was wrong, and we’d lose the shipment from increased pirate attacks. Now we’re both waist deep in shit we could’ve avoided if you’d just listened to me!”
He frowned and furrowed his brow. “I didn’t authorize the Navarian shipment.”
Kira came up short, blinking. “Oh, well then,”—she waved a hand as some of the worry on her face slipped away—“it must’ve been Mother or Father.” She broke into a devilish grin. “It’s great to see you, Ril.”
“Great to—” he cut off, and Tauri noticed a redness creeping along his neck towards his cheeks. His arms tightened on her back and legs. He was so upset, he was speechless for a moment. “Great to see me? I have been tearing Navar apart searching for you for weeks. And then you went and got Tauri involved! Would it have killed you to—I don’t know—let us know you were alive?”
Tauri managed to wiggle from his grip and land on her feet, but she held onto his forearm to keep her balance. She must’ve hit her head harder than she thought. She stared down at the blood on her fingers for a moment before wiping it against her pants.
Kira winced, a chink in the carefree attitude she presented. “I told you very specifically not to look for me. And then I told you that I would contact you when I was safe. Obviously, I’m not safe since I haven’t contacted you!”
“You knew that I was going to come anyways, Ki. I couldn’t stop thinking…” he trailed off, swallowing thickly.
“I know,” she said, some of her frustration fading as her shoulders dropped. “And I thought Tauri was going to leave as soon as she could!” She took a deep breath, and pointedly met Tauri’s gaze. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this. It wasn’t my intention.”
“I was going to leave, but Fili got in the way,” Tauri said.
“Yeah, Fili does that.” Kira clenched her fist.
“I might have destroyed your racer, so I’m sorry.” Tauri tried not to think about the lost triterrain craft. It was a shame it had gotten destroyed in the chase with the guardians so long ago. She wished she had gone back to salvage some parts, but she doubted any trace of it remained.
Kira shrugged. “It’s fine. She didn't have a name yet, so I wasn’t attached.”
“Alright, let’s get to the hovercar. We have a lot to talk about and standing in the open isn’t helping us,” Cyril said, walking away.
“No,” Kira uttered resolutely to his back.
He shifted to face her. “We’re leaving. Now.” He left no room for argument, jaw clenching.
Tauri glanced between the two of them, inching towards Cyril. She thought it best to not get involved in their argument.
“You’re leaving. None of us are safe, but sticking together only makes things more dangerous. Don’t you wonder why the guardians haven’t been chasing you? I have been raising all kinds of hell to protect you and get them off your trail.” She shuffled back, glancing behind her. “You’re welcome.”
“No, you’re welcome. Because while Tauri and I have been trying to take care of this Helden mess and find you, I’m not sure you’ve done anything. Are you any safer than you were when you called me?” he snapped.
She raised her chin sheepishly. “That’s not what we’re talking about.”
“Of course not. Then what are we talking about? Enlighten me.”
“Look, something important came up while I was on the run that I can’t ignore. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me so far, and I’ll try and help however I can. But… I can’t go back with you. Not yet.”
“Kira,” he warned.
“Cyril, please. We aren’t those lost little kids stuck on Yeren anymore.”
He stood up straighter. “That's strange because I'm still taking care of you!” He exhaled forcefully, scrubbing a hand across his face. His tone softened slightly. “So, I guess you’re not focused on figuring out what happened to the Vice.”
“Oh, no. It’s your job now.” She winked and started striding away, waving. “That’s what big brothers are for!” she called over her shoulder.
She disappeared around a corner, and Tauri glanced at Cyril. He blinked owlishly, standing in the midst of the junkyard. He looked lost and bewildered. She wasn’t sure he’d ever looked so out of place.
Slowly, he began walking towards the hovercar.
“Things are never simple with her,” he grumbled.
Tauri couldn’t help her bark of laughter. “A trait you two share.”
Chapter Eleven
Cyril paced back and forth, but Tauri had stopped paying attention to him. Bunny placed the last stitches on her scalp while she read some of the cracked files Polaris had sent over. Whatever pain medication Tauri had taken helped clear the fuzziness in her mind, but official Vice documents were still boring beyond belief.
He accidentally brushed too close to the table and knocked over her cup of tea. She jumped to her feet at the noise and sighed. At least she had finished it, and the cup hadn’t broken. She picked it up and placed it into the dishwasher.
“I can’t even imagine what Kira has been doing this whole time. Dealing with something else. Something else!” he scoffed. “She has something more important than proving her innocence. Of course, she does. I can’t believe—Actually, I can. She’s irresponsible, and—”
“Cyril!” Tauri interrupted, gripping his shoulders. “That’s enough.”
She pushed on his shoulders until he sank to the couch. He ran a hand through his hair, an unshakable darkness settling across his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked gently, though it was a silly question.
There were so many things wrong, and it had been that way since they first met.
She had been sucked into finding Kira, and the task had somehow evolved into investigating a crime. Part of her was fed up with the constant complications in her life, yet another part of her was grateful. She couldn’t quite put the feeling into words. Being with Cyril, sharing things with him... She no longer felt alone. She hadn’t expected it to happen with him. He was condescending and rough around the edges, but he was honest. She could always see it in his eyes, and it had been far too long since she had an honest person in her life.
She sighed tiredly.
“You held up your end of the deal,” He exhaled heavily, shrugging. "Time to get you off Navar.”
“No!” Even she was taken aback by how vehemently the words fell. "Kira disappeared again. We’re not done yet.”
That was mostly true.
Helden’s murder is only scratching the surface, she thought wryly.
She rubbed her temples, trying not to get too overwhelmed. Maybe they could start with smaller problems. “I really don’t understand why you can’t pay Fili to leave us alone because he’s the real problem here. If he’s gone, Kira and I are safe. ”
“Money can’t make everything go away. It feels like it can solve all your problems, but that’s a lie. It can’t always protect you.” His gaze was haunted, fierce. “Don’t get me wrong, it can definitely help. But some things”—he placed a hand against his chest—“money can never heal. If we cut out a deal with Fili, I think he’d still try and capture you and Kira. And if he figures out I know about his little candy escapade, then he’d want me gone, too. We know the truth, and that makes us a dangerous liability.”
“This sucks.” She had no idea how else to respond, trying to shake the bitterness gripping her lungs. Her mouth felt like cotton, so she swallowed a few times.
“Trust me, I’ve thought about this in every way I could. It doesn’t end well as long as Fili and his friends are out there.”
Tauri nodded, crossing her arms. “Even if we took Fili out of the equation, then they’d find someone else to lead them.”
Cyril rubbed his temples. “But
I know Fili. And if we manage to get him and toss him into prison, then he’ll spill everything he knows. He doesn’t have the backbone that most candy runners do. If he’s going to rot, they all are.”
His holocomm rang, and he answered after huffing at the name. “Kendo, tell that greedy asshole two billion units is the most we’ll offer. Call me when he accepts. Otherwise, I don’t want to hear about him again.” He paused. “We ran into Ki, but she disappeared again. Yeah, I’ll keep you posted.” He immediately clicked off and raised a brow at Tauri. “That was my cousin. We’re trying to figure out a merger with a research company for...” He caught the look on her face. “It doesn’t matter. The last thing I want to do is bore you.”
She tilted her head. “I’m surprised how down-to-earth you can be,” she admitted. She waited with bated breath, surprised to see his faint smile.
“I was a brat. I never appreciated what I had until—” He stopped short, rubbed a hand across his face, and took a deep breath.
“Until?”
“Until Yeren.”
She perked up at the word. “Kira mentioned Yeren. Is it the taminite moon your mom was given?” she asked carefully. She had the sense they were approaching a delicate subject, but she couldn’t help her curiosity.
“No,” he sighed. She felt it in her chest, as if the sigh had been her own.
He dropped his head, and she feared he had clammed up. The silence became unbearable, air settling over her like a heavy blanket. She was ready to change the subject to something simple like the annual planetary hovercar races.
Then, he spoke quietly.
“When Ki and I were younger, our ship was attacked by robbers. They recognized the Oich-Ru insignia and thought there would be taminite on board. There were only people on the ship. The pirates decided to sell us off to different places. We got sent to a mining company and were there for almost two years. We were just kids. I was fifteen, working the mines until I couldn’t move. She was ten, working the kitchen and cleaning. We got home eventually, but things were never the same. I started helping in the taminite mines back home because it was difficult to readjust. The galaxy around me was so different.”
“Cyril,” Tauri whispered, her throat tight and her eyes stinging.
“I thought this was going to be a quick trip. Get to Navar, find Kira, leave.” He looked up at her and offered a sardonic twist of his lips. “As if would be so easy. Now, we’ve been here almost two months, and we’re left with more questions than answers. I don’t know what to do, and it scares me.”
Her breath caught. He was beautiful and broken and brave.
She crouched before him, and his eyes followed her movements. Carefully, she placed what she hoped was a comforting hand on his knee. They could both feel the slight tremble in her fingers. She searched for the right words, desperate and frustrated when she kept drawing a blank. She couldn’t imagine how awful that must’ve been for him and Kira. And their family. Her own parents used to get worried if she was gone for too long at night. To be lost for two years?
He must’ve felt so alone and like a failure for being unable to protect his sister. She at least understood that. An isolation so pressing that one could drown in it. Fear for loved ones so overwhelming that it was petrifying.
He was nothing like what she had initially thought. He was as worried and flawed, like her.
She shuddered. What words would she want to hear in a situation like this?
Warm hands grabbed her face, and Cyril leaned down. His thumbs sweetly swept across her cheeks, and she distantly noticed she was crying.
“I’m here,” he murmured urgently. “Tauri, it’s alright. I’m here.”
He always knew the right words to say.
“I’m supposed to be the one saying that,” she muttered. “I’m here. I’m here for you.”
She wept harder, understanding now that the roughness on his hands were leftovers from his time captive. And yet, he was the one comforting her.
Fear and determination and heat swelled in her chest, and she placed her hands along his neck.
“Tauri—”
Before she had a chance to think twice, she surged forward, crushing her lips to his. She pushed him against the back of the couch and straddled his hips. She wanted to hold him until the universe fell away, and only they remained. She wanted to touch him, remind herself he was real and here and safe from the prowling darkness.
His hands stilled on her cheeks, and her head pounded.
His lips were soft. Softer than she had dared to even imagine. It was a startling contrast to the hardness of his body beneath her.
Nerves made her quiver against him. Had she done something wrong?
She inhaled sharply, pulling back. Ships flew overhead, slightly shaking Bunny, but she was too focused on Cyril to look out the window and check what models they were.
She stumbled over her words. “I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t—I shouldn’t have…”
He shook his head, scanning her face intensely. He looked dazed with his lips parted. His breath feathered across her face, and she suddenly felt too warm.
“Tauri?” he started, and her heart skipped a beat. “Is it alright if I kiss you?”
A question.
Warmth sank and pooled in her gut as she realized that he had been asking her things more often. Her heart hammered in her chest as she sat straighter, lurching up to rest on her knees. She stared down at his face and kissed his nose, using her thumbs to push his jaw up, and he easily followed her direction.
She nodded jerkily, whimpering, “Yes, yes.”
She tipped her head forward, once more meeting his lips. He was tender at first, pressure light and fleeting. Tauri made a frustrated growl in the back of her throat, and a switch flipped. His hands began clawing at her hips, urging her closer and closer. His fingers dug into her, and her skin beneath her clothes smoldered.
She buried a hand in his hair, marveling at its silkiness.
What would it feel like to have his inky strands brush against her back?
Her arms?
Her thighs?
She shuddered, pulling away slightly.
He followed her warmth with a groan, but she dipped forward, nipping and kissing his chin, drawing abstract shapes with her tongue. His stuttering breaths encouraged her, making her ravenous and heady.
She pressed her lips into his pulse, intoxicated by his smell. His heart was thundering as wildly as her own.
One of his hands crept under her shirt, hovering over the small of her back. Was he afraid to touch her? A part of her was scared, too—frightened of the beautiful and mysterious beast she became under his guidance.
She ground her hips into his, and they both gasped at the sudden connection, a feral tightness in her body urging her to repeat the action.
“I—Can you t-touch me, Cyril?” she stuttered against his collar bone.
He kissed the spot behind her ear, and she jerked slightly. His palm rasped against her lower back, and she shied away from his touch. Her bravery fled as rapidly as it had arrived. It was as if freezing water had been thrown over her body, impeding the cloud that had descended over her thoughts.
“Wait!” she backtracked in a panic.
Did he want her the way she wanted him? Would he pull away when he remembered who she was, and who he was?
“Hey, hey, look at me.” With his other hand, he brought her face back to his. Her chin was captive between his index finger and thumb. “You don’t have to worry,” he said with a small, reassuring smile. “It’s just me.”
That was the problem.
It wasn’t just Cyril. It was someone who had figured out a way to worm beyond her defenses. Make a place perfectly shaped place for them somewhere in her heart. The realization took her by surprise, leaving her strangely breathless.
She gave him a watery upturn of her mouth, delicately tracing the silver markings along his cheeks. His eyes drifted shut as he reveled in the feeling of her min
istrations.
“I wish I wasn’t so nervous, Sparkles,” she sighed, trailing across his lips. “And I wish these thoughts would disappear. I… I’ve been on my own for a while now.”
He kissed the pads of her fingers. “Well, you’re not alone right now. And if it were that easy, everyone would be braver. And I’m not sure that’s always a good thing.” He chuckled.
His eyes glowed in the dimness of the ship. “You do know I care about you, right?”
She returned his gaze, fearless after his affirmation. “I care about you, too.”
“I also really like you.” He pushed away a lock of hair that had fallen from her ponytail. “You don’t want to knock my dimple off anymore, do you?”
She shook her head and then considered his words again. “Actually, I still do sometimes.”
He laughed, loud and real. It shook through her body and made her smile. Every day, he seemed a bit freer, a bit lighter.
And she was starting to see the same change in her. Things weren’t great, but they were better with him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing the tip of his ear. He shuddered and moaned quietly, redness creeping up his neck.
Her smile turned wicked. His ear must be sensitive. She stored the mental note for later. Her hand slipped away from his hair and settled against his shoulder.
He hugged her waist, nuzzling into the nape of her neck.
She tried to pull back, but he shook against her. “Don’t go?” he whispered along her skin. “Please, not yet.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she mumbled hoarsely.
“Neither am I.”
And she knew they both meant it.
Chapter Twelve
Tauri and Cyril stood in Polaris’ monitor room four days later. She had pinged their holocomms, and the message was marked urgent. It was a short request for them to stop by, indicating she possessed new information that had to be shared in person.
The vampire clacked steadily at her keyboard, muttering, “Give me a second to get this set up.”
Tauri had thought it strange since keyboards were mostly obsolete. But she noticed every now and then, as Polaris was pondering something, she would absently stroke the keys. Maybe she’d grown up with them and enjoyed the sound.