Shadows and Stars

by Becca Fanning

  “I’m coming.” She grabbed his arm. “You might see Geraldine instead.”

  “Well, my issue isn’t with her, is it?” But the emotion had left his voice, and he pumped his fingers in and out of a fist.

  “I’m coming.” Penny surprised herself with her emphasis. The last person she wanted to see was Gerald, but the fierce desire to protect Geraldine overrode her fear. “You can’t hurt her because of him.”

  Exasperation filled Vincent’s tone and face. “They’re the same person. What one does, the other is complicit with.”

  “I don’t believe that. You know Geraldine, with her provocative dresses and flirty nature with the men, but the things Gerald says…” She shook her head again. “Two of them are trapped in there somehow. She has time periods she doesn’t remember. She told me.”

  “And who is stronger? Which one will win? Who will we be left with? I’m not sure I want to find out.” His face seemed to lack even more colour than usual, and a brief frisson of unease rippled through her.

  “But what are you going to do?”

  “Like I said. Just a bit of a chat. Or, failing that, first cadet I see, I’m bringing back here to speak to you.”

  “Okay, then, but I told you I’m not staying. I need to come with you.” She grabbed her bag and shoved it on her shoulder, then followed Vincent out of the door.

  “Just stay behind me, then, will you?”

  “What? You’re protecting me from an empty corridor?”

  He pulled her into a brief hug. “Nope. But you’ll ruin all my credibility if people see you and think my best friend wears potato sacks.”

  THREE

  VINCENT STALKED DOWN THE CORRIDORS, veering left and right at the forks, while Penny hurried to catch up to him.

  “Where are we going?” She tugged on his sleeve.

  “I’m trying to decide. Cop shop or Absolution?” He stopped abruptly as he arrived at a row of lifts and jabbed the button. Both Cadet HQ and Geraldine’s bar were on Commerce Level, three floors above where Penny had claimed her home. The lift doors opened, and he stepped inside. “Well?”

  She hurried in after him, then stood in one of the back corners and wrapped her arms around herself. “Let’s just go and grab a coffee. Calm things down a bit.”

  He snorted.

  “Oh, come on. I’ll even buy you tomato juice instead of coffee to keep your macho image intact.”

  “My perfect date?” He snorted again but flexed his muscles just a little.

  The doors pinged open on Commerce and people bustled by in the wide corridor, hurrying past the shop doorways that stood open on each side. After waiting for a gap, Vincent stepped into the stream of bodies. He hurried forwards, intent obvious in each movement. Penny’s neck whipped backwards as he jerked an about-face into the line of people surging the other way, right behind a uniformed cadet.

  She flinched as Vincent prodded his index finger into the cadet’s shoulder.

  “Excuse me.” At his strident voice, several people turned to look at them, and she pressed herself closer to his back, imagining herself into non-existence.

  Jerking forward, the cadet twisted to look behind him. “Yes?” His snappy tone and the way he rubbed his shoulder suggested Vincent hadn’t controlled his strength.

  “I need to report someone for harassment.”

  The Cadet diverted into the next viewing bay and tugged Vincent’s sleeve as he went. “Now, what are you talking about?” He spared Penny only a quick glance as he lowered the shutters to dim the space even further.

  “My best friend”—Vincent nodded briefly at Penny before his blank gaze returned to the cadet—“had some unwanted attention from another Twober.” He lapsed into the slang term by which they all referred to themselves, and Penny hadn’t missed the fire of fury in his eyes—despite the passionless way he held his expression. He was as dangerous as she’d ever seen him, and she drew away, imaging walls splattered with blood after Vincent momentarily relaxed his vegan principles.

  The cadet laughed, the sound rough and grating. “Oh, really?” Rocking back on his heels, he cast a lazy glance over Penny. “Are you sure?” He chuckled again, and, from the edges of her sightline, Penny saw Vincent stiffen, as though his next move would be a pounce, and she wasn’t ready to witness a three-course cadet dinner.

  “Steady.” She rested her hand on his arm. “Tomato juice, remember.”

  “I’m considering an exception.” His voice altered as his fangs descended, and she glanced away from his face before returning her gaze to him. It was a side Vincent kept closely guarded, hidden even, and the stark beauty of the predator within him stole a gasp from her.

  “Now, then.” The cadet’s hands shook as he retrieved a pen and notepad from his pockets. “No need to be that way. Give me some details, and I’m sure we can clear all of this up very quickly.”

  Vincent looked at Penny, and his face relaxed. She reached for his hand to steady herself, and the confident grip of his fingers forced some strength into her.

  “It was Gerald.” Far from being the assertive words in her head, her statement emerged as an apology, and she clamped her mouth into a tight, flat line to prevent any further speech. Or teeth chattering.

  The cadet barked a laugh that he quickly smothered into a cough. “Gerald? Well…that’s certainly…” He rested his pen against his lip before speaking again. “Tricky.”

  “Yes, yes. I understand the logistics. But what are you going to do about it?” Vincent’s foot tapping as he spoke distracted Penny from the cadet’s smirk.

  He sighed. “Look, I’ll see if I can find Geraldine. I know where she usually goes about this time of day. You two wait for me at Cadet HQ, and I’ll let you know what we’ve agreed.” He cast a quick look at Penny. “But I’m sure you understand this won’t be an easy situation to control. And since Geraldine doesn’t even seem aware of him, it must be handled with delicacy—not violence.” He glanced at a still tensed Vincent. “We’re all a bit out of our depth when it comes to Gerald.”

  She nodded and his eyes softened.

  “I’ll do my best to get some sort of agreement for you.” The cadet reached out a hand, and Penny shrank back, pressing herself to Vincent’s side. He tightened his grip on her, and she relaxed into the safety and familiarity of her friend.

  As the cadet marched away, Vincent moved, and she looked up at him. “What are you doing?”

  “Going with him of course. You don’t think I trust one of our law-enforcing clowns to deal with Gerald properly? Besides, that cadet’s clearly a demon, and those bastards lie.” His face was still set like stone.

  “But he told us to go to Cadet HQ.”

  “And that’s exactly why I’m going to go where he’s going. I want to see what he does rather than rely on his version of what he’s done. You can go to HQ if you like.”

  Penny stared at the crowds of milling people in the corridor, and a shiver worked its way up her spine. “I’ll stay with you. Quick, before we lose which way he’s gone.”

  “Where do you think he’s going?” Penny whispered as the cadet made a sharp left turn through an open doorway, after having led them down flights of steps and through miles of passages.

  “Well, we’re on Ark Level, so he’s going to see one of the animals, I suppose.” Vincent murmured his response by her ear, and an answering tingle at his sudden nearness raced through her.

  She shook off the uncomfortable response and refocused. Ark Level housed the ship’s zoo. Funny, Penny’d never questioned the existence of a zoo in outer space, with it fitting The Salvation’s two by two theme, but she wondered what the cadet hoped to find there besides a waste of time.

  “Think it’s some sort of top secret control room with cameras and Big Brother technology? Watching us? Like not animals at all, and we’re just being studied, or something?”

  Vincent snorted. “Don’t be daft. I spend half my time boxing up the protein packets to feed these bloody things. N
ow, hush. I don’t want to lose this demon or make him angry. Let me check what’s up. I need to keep you safe.” Motioning as though shooing her away, he peeked around the door before he darted inside.

  She wandered closer to the room’s opening, curiosity nudging her into action, but jumped back when Vincent’s hand suddenly appeared around the doorframe and started waggling at her.

  “Come on!” he hissed. “You should see this.”

  She reached and clasped his hand, reassurance creeping through her as his cool fingers wrapped around hers. He pulled her snug against his side and pointed her gaze to the edge of the room. The cadet stood under a raised platform with Geraldine on it, above him, her arm outstretched as she offered a branch of leaves to a waiting giraffe. Another slightly larger giraffe hovered nearby, and a baby peered over the lowest fence, all beautiful neck patterns, bandy legs, and big brown eyes.

  “Where are we?” Penny cringed as her whisper echoed around the room, and Geraldine turned her attention to them.

  Vincent’s grip on her tightened, and he stepped slightly in front of her as if offering protection.

  “You’re in the nursery. This is our first mated pair and their new arrival. I’m just visiting with Mum.”

  “I told you to wait at HQ.”

  Geraldine and the cadet spoke at the same time.

  “My sincerest apologies for not trusting a demon, but I had to make sure talking to him meant the same to you as it does to me.” His tone anything but sincere or apologetic, Vincent tensed, and his jaw tightened after his last word.

  The challenge didn’t go unnoticed by the cadet, who blanched. “I’ve just asked Miss Jones to step down from the platform and accompany me to HQ so we can have a chat.”

  Vincent nodded at the small ladder as his eyes flickered a dull red. “You didn’t think to just go up there for your chat?”

  The cadet stepped backwards. “I’d rather not. I prefer to keep my feet on terra firma.”

  “This is outer space; there is no ‘terra firma.’” Laughter pushed its way from Penny.

  A blush replaced the cadet’s pale cheeks. “Well, I prefer underground entirely, truth be told, but I’m generally okay as long as I don’t look through the windows.”

  “Really?” Disbelief echoed in Vincent’s tone. “A space cadet—a demon—who is afraid of heights?”

  “We all have a place here.” Geraldine’s voice cut through the room and her shoes tapped on each ladder rung as she descended. “Or haven’t you noticed my life philosophy? All the people who don’t quite fit…together, happy. Well, as many as I can get on board, at any rate.” She tinkled a little laugh.

  “Perhaps you haven’t told everyone about your inclusive ethos?” Vincent’s heavy emphasis caused wrinkles of confusion in Geraldine’s expression.

  Penny slipped loose from Vincent while he spoke, and Geraldine approached him. She was sure it was Geraldine but didn’t want to be too close just in case Gerald watched all of them from inside Geraldine’s body. Her attention wandered to the baby giraffe. Without thought, she closed the distance between them, drawn by the creature who seemed so alone, a singleton without the rest of its pair.

  “Hello,” she whispered as she approached him. She reached out as though to pet his neck, but he jerked back, and the movement attracted the attention of his father who took two steps closer. Afraid to even so much as twitch a muscle, Penny let her hand hang in the air as the large giraffe approached her, then bent his neck until she could feel his warm breath ruffling her hair.

  “Penny!” Vincent’s urgent murmur reached her ears, but no one moved.

  The giraffe snorted, and Penny rolled her eyes to the side, trying to get a better view before something warm and slimy dragged itself across her left cheek. She flinched away, meeting the giraffe’s gaze as she returned to Vincent’s side.

  Laughing, he offered her the bottom of his T-shirt, pulling it up until she could see his taut stomach and the ridges of muscle. “Here, wipe your face.”

  “Did it just lick me?”

  He twitched a corner of his mouth in reply.

  “Oh my God. Ugh. It was like a warm wet fish or something, but rougher.” She scrubbed at her cheek until it became clear the drool was gone and she was just caressing herself with the soft cotton of Vincent’s shirt as she inhaled his scent. The second that thought registered, she dropped the material as though it’d delivered her an electric shock.

  “I…um…I just wanted to see the baby.” She turned to find Geraldine watching her.

  “We’re still working on pairing everything up so they can breed. But of course, you wanted to see the baby! You’re looking at our first success. I’m so very pleased. I can hardly tell you.” She clasped her hands to her chest as though she had made a love match rather than a biological one.

  “I’m sure you are.” Vincent’s voice was hard and cold. He reached for Penny and pulled her closer to him. “Anyway, seeing as we’re discussing, uh, breeding, you need to have a little chat with this cadet.” He gave a small shrug, and his voice quietened as he reached the end of his sentence.

  Geraldine brought a hand up to her throat, and her fingers toyed with the beads there. She waited a moment before she spoke. “Is this about finding myself with Penny last night? I’m not sure what I can do. I…don’t remember everything very well all the time. I mean, I’ll try my best, but I don’t know if I can be much help to you. I can tell you she seemed upset. I think something was wrong with her, maybe.”

  “What do you mean you can’t remember things?”

  “I don’t know. I just can’t. Oh, I’m getting all confused. Penny was so sad and…I was just glad I found her. We might have argued, though. I just don’t know.” Geraldine inhaled deeply through her nose, and the cadet backed away as if anticipating an explosion.

  “Look.” Vincent’s tone softened, and his stance relaxed slightly as he held his hands out towards Geraldine. “I know you’re limited in what you can do, and I really appreciate you looking after Penny.” He hesitated, and any fight Penny saw drained from him. “I don’t want to upset you too much, so all she really wants is to have some time and space to see if she can get her business set up. We can all try to keep her out of harm’s way like that, don’t you think?”

  “A new business on board? That’ll require paperwork and permission.” The cadet grabbed hold of the new idea, flipped his page in his notebook, and began writing.

  “Oh, I’m not sure. I might just get a job somewhere, really.” Penny offered the demon a dismissive wave. Jumping through hoops to act as a matchmaker seemed a little too much like hard work.

  “You know, Penny, I handpicked you. I saw sex therapist listed on your resume and thought you would be just what we needed on board this ship of lost souls.” Geraldine sidled right up next to her, sandwiching her against Vincent.

  Penny took a deep breath to try to reclaim some space. “Oh.” She didn’t know how to respond. And she should have known the sex therapist lie would come back to bite her. It’d just sounded better than writing down that she packaged bottles of mail-order Viagra.

  Geraldine tapped her pointy stiletto against the floor. “We need good relationships to flourish after all.”

  “Yes, but the right people need to find each other first.” Penny pointed out, unsure how to segue gracefully into the business idea.

  “Penny wants to open a dating agency,” Vincent interjected, although he refused to meet Penny’s eyes as she shot him her best glare.

  “Oh! How wonderful! That would make everyone so happy! No one would need to be sad or lonely anymore.” Geraldine’s voice rang around the room, and one of the giraffes let out an alarmed snort. “All of you must come with me right now, and we’ll get it all signed off.”

  “Just like that?” Vincent’s tone was sceptical.

  The cadet looked up. “No, sir. Not quite just like that. Waiting time for permission is at least eight weeks because we have to think about zoning on boa
rd, space restrictions, impact on society, applicable taxes….” He ticked off each point as he spoke.

  “Well, I love the idea, and I like to think my opinion counts for something.” Geraldine’s tone was firm. “I want to take Penny to the office. We can discuss premises, or whatever else she needs, and I’ll sign the papers as soon as they’re drawn up.”

  “But…” Something telegraphed through the air between the two of them, and he lowered his gaze. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Right, then. I think you can go back to HQ, and we’ll head to the upper floors.” Geraldine offered her arm to Penny. “Shall we?”

  Vincent stepped forwards. “She isn’t going with you.”

  “But how can I find out more about her idea?” The corners of Geraldine’s mouth turned down, and hurt flashed through her eyes.

  Penny patted Geraldine’s forearm. “Where’s your office? Perhaps we can both come?”

  “Penthouse, but I’ll draw the sunshades.” Geraldine cast a sidelong glance at Vincent and grinned. “Don’t worry; I won’t let you fry.”

  Vincent paused for a moment before tilting his head slightly, suspicion telegraphing from his eyes. “I’d go with Penny either way.”

  FOUR

  PENNY’S MOUTH HUNG open at the opulence of the penthouse office Geraldine led them to. The heavy beige sunscreens were bordered by rose pink brocade window dressings, and fleur-de-lis motifs graced every possible space. The cream carpet was so deep that their feet sank into it as they walked across the room, and a small Regency desk sat in one corner, while a conference table to seat twelve was positioned at the other end of the room.

  “Where are we? Is this your office for owning the bar?”

  Vincent gave the space a quick glance. “At a guess, I’d say we’re in the commander’s office.” His tone was dry, and he looked directly at Geraldine as he spoke.

  “Very perceptive.” Her whole demeanour changed as she answered, and she glided behind the desk to take a seat on the dainty chair. “But Geraldine decorated.” She added the last bit almost as an afterthought as she rolled her hair into a practised chignon.