by Kiersten Fay
Now those glances would be aimed at Marik too.
There was no doubt the Serakians would send someone to perform the spell, if only because such a thing had never been attempted before. They were an innately curious people. Marik hoped it wasn’t possible, but he knew he didn’t have that kind of luck.
Would it hurt? Would his love for Nadua disintegrate along with the bond? He could only imagine it would be like someone tearing his heart out.
* * *
Sonya was thoroughly relieved when the transmission came in that everyone was safe and headed for Marada. But it also caused a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Once back, Sebastian would take over as captain and she would go back to working in her pub...with Ethanule.
She’d been successful in avoiding him since the ridiculous incident, and did not relish the thought of facing him again.
It wasn’t that big of a deal, anyway. Silly, in fact, when she really thought about it, though her brothers wouldn’t think so.
That alone made her grin. Ethan would be so worried about her informing her brothers of his less than honorable conduct, that he would most likely do anything she said. But even that thought didn’t help much.
She lifted her chin, resolved. She wouldn’t let him see how badly he’d hurt her. It wasn’t a physical pain she felt— although it had been a little painful, it had been more shocking than anything—but emotionally she was a mess, and had no idea why.
Aidan’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “The shuttle is docking, Captain.”
“Good. Keep us in orbit until further instructions. I’ll go and greet them.”
She was excited to see Anya again. No one else would understand what she was going through at the moment.
“Huh.” Aidan’s tone was baffled.
“What is it, Aidan?”
“There are five life-forces on board.”
“Five?” Had they picked up a stray? A dark though filtered into her mind. Could they have been hijacked? “Are there any other ships in the area?”
“No, Captain.”
That meant little; pirates survived by the prowess of their stealth.
“Run a physical analysis. Are they calm?”
“No, I’m reading three elevated heart rates, and traces of blood.”
“Shit. I’m heading to the docking bay. If you detect conflict, seal off the area and alert the crew.” No need to start a panic. Yet.
She stopped to gather weapons from the weapons locker. Because projectile guns could be detrimental to a ship’s hull, they were outlawed on most civilized ships.
Sonya had convinced Sebastian to stock a few of the safer energy based weapons, though. The one she was currently strapping to her waist—and had been dying to try out—was a small hand held called a pulsar blaster. It directed a pulse of energy that could knock someone on their ass and crush the breath out of them, while leaving the heavy metal casing of the ship intact. Sonya also grabbed a couple of light weight swords before she hurried to her next stop.
Though she didn’t like the idea of asking for his help, Ethanule had proven himself to be skilled in the art of combat. And, despite the fact that she was currently in shambles, her family was more important than her pride.
Poking her head into The Demon’s Punchbowl, Sonya spotted Ethan, chatting across the bar with a couple crewmen. “Ethan! Come with me, now.”
He looked up, bewildered at her tone but withheld the usual snarky comeback. A little uneasy, he approached. “Uh, do you want me to close the—”
“No time,” she whispered now that he was near. “Sebastian is docking, and I’m not sure, but there could be trouble.”
His demeanor instantly changed, and she caught a glimpse of the soldier he once was. Taking hold of the sword she offered, he followed without another word. When they arrived at the docking bay, the shuttle had already settled. But they could only wait and watch through the thick clear window pain in the bulkhead, as the room was in the process of being pressurized.
The wait was agonizing. Sonya could see two bodies through the front window of the shuttle. Sebastian at the helm, and Marik, who was covered in blood. Her tail flicked nervously.
Pressurization complete, the hatch whooshed open. Sonya moved in first, her blade in one hand and her blaster in the other. The door at the back of the shuttle slid forward, forming a set of stairs. A bloodied stranger, sword sheathed around his waist, filled the opening.
Sonya raised her pulsar gun as the Edge made its way to the front of her mind. If he had done anything to her family, she would make his suffering last years.
The unfamiliar man took one step before he realized Sonya and Ethanule had weapons drawn. His eyes flashed red. Sonya spotted the small horns atop his head and halted for a second.
Didn’t matter. She’d take him down and ask questions later.
The demon pulled his sword and jumped forward, landing on the metal floor with a hard thud. Rising to his full height, he pointed his weapon at them.
Sonya could feel her own horns blanching red as they warmed. She was ready to squeeze the trigger and watch this bastard fly. But before she could, Ethan pushed her behind him and hurled himself at the other man.
A frustrated growl escaped her as the sound of their blades meeting bounced off the walls.
Stepping forward, Sonya was about to reclaim her right to battle when a woman’s scream sounded from the shuttle. What came next happened so fast, Sonya’s head spun.
A fiery-haired woman had started shooting Ethan with arrows as he continued to fight off the demon. Enveloped by the Edge, Sonya’s body moved in a flash. Before she knew it, the woman was on the ground under her. The woman’s head bounced off the metal and Sonya’s sword settled at her throat. Then the weight of a thousand meteors smashed into her, so hard that she slid across the floor, only stopping when a wall got in the way. The impact was jarring, and she knew the ship now displayed a Sonya-shaped dent.
When her mind cleared, she was shocked by who it was that was growling maliciously at her. “Marik?”
Eyes swirling with liquid fire, he looked as though he were ready to rip her to pieces.
Sebastian was out of the shuttle, throwing himself between Ethan and the strange demon. Anya was hunched over the red-headed bitch who looked dazed as she pulled herself to sit.
Sonya’s nostrils flared.
Oh no.
No wonder Marik’s claws were still digging painfully into her shoulders. Sonya had unknowingly attacked his mate. The very idea could send a demon spiraling over the Edge.
Ethanule stepped toward them, looking as if he wanted to turn his sword on Marik. Sonya stilled him with her palm. “Hey, Red.” She kept her voice calm, so not to further agitate Marik. “Call off your boy.”
The girl gave her an icy glare, then softened at the sight of Marik in his deep rage. “Marik, it’s okay.”
Marik didn’t move.
“Marik, look at me.”
His breathing calmed, and his hold on Sonya began to loosen.
“Eyes on me.”
Marik’s gaze shifted to Red. Sonya watched his eyes fade back to normal and his horns fizzle out. The moment she was sure he was himself, Sonya snipped, “Get off me, you jackass.”
He rose to his feet. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
She reached to massage away the pain in her shoulder. “It looked as though you had been hijacked. Why is everyone so bloody? And who the hell is that?” She motioned her head toward the new demon. They had only expected to receive Nadua, Anya’s sister.
After checking on Nadua, Marik gave a short explanation while throwing dark looks at Sonya.
“Maybe you should have mentioned that in your transmission! What am I supposed to think when everyone is bathed in blood?” She pointed an accusing finger at Ethan. “And you! Don’t ever get in my way again. I brought you here as back up, not protection.”
“Perhaps you should take your own advice and inform me a
head of time. It would be nice to know what I’m getting myself into.”
She flushed at that, noticing at the same time two arrows had penetrated his side. The need to take Red to the ground arose, but she ignored the urge, as well as the reasoning behind such a desire.
Bastian spoke up. “Let’s just get everyone mended and cleaned up. Anya, you can take your sister to our room to wash up and lend her some clothes.”
That gave Sonya pause. Why wouldn’t Red be going to Marik’s room?
“Marik, show Rex to one of our empty compartments. He looks about my size, so I’ll provide something for him to wear.”
“Thank you,” Rex said. He had yet to relax though, and his eyes were taking in everything around him.
“But first, everyone give me your weapons. I won’t have you walking my ship armed as you are. Sunny isn’t the only one who would jump to the wrong conclusion.”
Sonya grumbled, “Don’t call me that!”
Sebastian stowed their weapons in a bin and they all left, following Bastian’s orders.
Sonya headed back to her pub and set to work wiping down the bar. She was grateful to be relieved of acting captain, and ready to get back to her normal routine.
In a teasing voice, someone at the end of the bar shouted, “Hey Ethan, nice accessories.”
Sonya turned. Ethan had followed her instead of going to sickbay. “What are you doing?”
“I was going to get back to work.”
Sonya gaped at him. “Are you just going to leave those where they are?”
“Of course not.” Though the arrows were buried nearly halfway in, he looked unconcerned. “I can heal instantly, but since you’re the reason they’re in there I figure you should be the one to pull them out.”
“I’m not pulling them out! Go to the doctor.”
“You get me injured and you won’t even help me?”
“I didn’t tell you to jump in front of me and get yourself shot, pirate.”
Ethan’s eyes went dark. “Maybe if you had proved you could fight—”
Vision red, Sonya’s hand wrapped around the butt of an arrow. She wrenched it, feeling flesh tear as she did. Ethan howled and nearly doubled over.
Sonya’s teeth clenched. She didn’t usually mind doling out pain, but this bothered her for some reason. The few people in the bar went quiet and watched with curiosity.
She swallowed hard and found her throat had gone dry. “There. Now go have Doctor Oshwald do the other one.”
“No, just get it over with.” He stood, blood gushing from the wound.
“Why aren’t you healing?”
“I can’t heal till the other one is out.”
“Damn you.” Sonya gripped the other arrow tight and yanked just as hard as she did the first one.
She could tell it hurt him just as much as before, but he was expecting it this time and only growled through his teeth.
Their eyes met.
“Was that supposed to be some sort of gesture?”
With a barely noticeable movement, his shoulder twitched.
“Just heal yourself and get out of my pub.” Sonya turned to take drink orders, but when she asked one of the patrons what he wanted, he continued to stare at Ethan and the pool of blood gathering at his feet.
Sonya snapped, “You’re getting blood all over the place! Heal already!”
“Not until you agree that we’re even.”
Sonya could only gape at him. “Even? How does this make us even?”
“I hurt you, you hurt me. Hence we’re even.”
“Is that a pirate thing?”
He shrugged.
“Well, there’s nothing to make even. I’m a big girl and I knew what I was doing.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her close. “Well, I didn’t! If I had known I wouldn’t have...I would have been—”
“Enough!” She pulled away from him, suddenly embarrassed by their audience. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. So fine then, we’re even. Go away.” She paused. “But clean up this mess first.”
She turned, resolving to ignore him for the rest of the night. Maybe the rest of the month.
By the glimmer of light refracting off her bar, she knew he was finally rejuvenating. A strange kind of relief had her stomach unclenching. She decided not to analyze that too closely.
Stupid pirate.
Chapter 28
The ship reminded Nadua of a luxury boat her family used to own. The rooms were comfortable, decorated in warm colors. The people were friendly, and always greeted her as if she was already one of them. Marik had been correct when he said she would like it here.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the one showing her around. Analia was. In fact, she hadn’t seen Marik since they’d been separated a day ago.
Nadua didn’t know what to think about that. She had wanted to talk to him about the Serakian thing, but she had no idea what she would say. She should by happy about his compliance to break the bond. Should be.
The constant debate in her head had kept her up most of the night. It could have also been because she was in her room alone. And though the bed was comfortable, it felt like something was missing. A surly demon, perhaps.
Was he avoiding her?
Analia led her to their next stop on the tour: The Demon’s Punchbowl. They had just come from the Sanctuary, a mesmerizing wild garden that encompassed an entire deck of the ship. Nadua had been brought to tears by the sight. Until then, she had truly forgotten what a leaf looked like, the smell of flourishing life, the soothing sound of trickling water.
Analia had understood what she was feeling without even asking and allowed her to stay as long as she wanted. They both sat on a tuft of grass and took it all in. Trees and vines reached the ceiling, where false light provided warmth like a sun. A small stream of water curved and crisscrossed with a walking path.
It had reminded her of home. Evlon was a lively planet. Green and lush. Almost no land was barren, but for a few isolated spots. Nadua didn’t know how she survived so long without it.
As they sat there, Analia had asked her about her life, if she had been happy and well treated, obviously hoping it was so. Nadua recanted her favorite memories. Memories of Fineas, Wren, and Cyrus. Then how Ava came into her life and had quickly become the main focus of her world.
Nadua wondered if her happy stories caused sadness in Analia, but her sister had remained quiet and attentive the whole time, never showing the slightest bitterness in her expression.
Now they entered the pub. Nadua followed Analia to the bar, where that woman, Sonya, stood serving drinks. Their first meeting had been intense, and she still felt uneasy around her. Once Nadua had calmed down, she could understand the mistake. She probably would have done the same, if Ava had been in a similar situation. But she and Sonya wouldn’t be hugging it out any time soon.
Whenever Sonya glanced her way, Nadua got the sense she was imaging slitting her throat. Naturally, Nadua returned the look in kind.
Sonya had been incredibly fast. So much faster than Marik. If it came down to a fight between them, Nadua would most definitely lose.
Sebastian occupied one of the many stools surrounding the bar. At Analia’s approach, his face lit up.
A twinge of jealousy spiked in Nadua’s veins. Had Marik ever looked at her like that? She mentally scolded herself and pushed the thought away. Analia deserved her happiness, more than anyone.
Ethanule emerged from a back room, causing Nadua’s mood to greatly improve. She hadn’t recognized him right away, in the docking bay. Now she could see hints of his former self in his features. He was somehow harder, rougher, especially around the eyes.
Analia had informed her that their father sent Ethan to find them, and to bring them all home. To do this, Ethan had to team up with a brutal pirate faction and fight his way to become their leader, in order to utilize their powerful influence. So, for over three hundred years, Ethan had been masquerading as a pirate. Someth
ing from that way of life must have stuck with him. How could it not?
Nadua still felt like a Cyrellian in ways. Being here with Analia, calling herself Faieara once more, felt strange, like a dream. And being without Marik felt oven odder.
Where was he? She thought about asking Analia, but decided against it. She should just enjoy the company of her sister for now.
Sonya looked up, smiling at Analia and sparing Nadua a brief glance. “Hi, Anya. Can I get you something?”
Analia put her finger to her chin in thought. “A virgin.”
Both Ethan and Sonya straightened, gaping wide-eyed at Analia.
“What?” they said in unison.
Sonya’s eyes swiftly darted to Sebastian, Ethan, then back to Analia.
Interesting.
Sebastian didn’t seem to notice, his attention was still riveted to Analia, who replied, “That drink you made for me once. You said it was a virgin.”
Sonya’s shoulders dropped and she let out a laugh that sounded a bit nervous. “That’s not the name of the drink. That just means there’s no alcohol in it.”
“Oh. Well, whatever it was, I’ll take that.”
“Sure.” Sonya turned to Nadua. “And for you?”
Nadua couldn’t help but flash a knowing smile.
Immature? Maybe. But she suspected something was going on between Sonya and Ethan and, for whatever reason, they were pretending otherwise. Sonya’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
Oh yeah, they were going to be the best of friends.
“I’ll take anything that isn’t a virgin.”
* * *
Marik had been on his way to show Rex the exercise room when they walked past the pub and noticed everyone gathered inside. Showing only the slightest hesitation, Marik entered. Nadua was going to be on this ship for a long while, and he couldn’t avoid her forever.