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“I have to make things right with Gunnar,” I say. “And I don’t think I can do that here.”
“He would want you to be safe,” Vance counters.
“I think he doesn’t want anything to do with me right now,” I say with a bitter laugh.
Vance nods, understanding in his eyes. “Then you should go to him.”
“You know where he ran off to?”
“Radioed and said he was heading back to the boats,” Vance says. “You might be able to catch him.”
I feel a surge of gratitude towards him, knowing he sees the tangle of emotions inside me. I turn to Oberon, who is watching me closely.
“I need to find Gunnar,” I say, determination hardening my voice.
“Go,” Oberon replies, grasping my shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll take care of things here.”
With a last look at Lark, Isaiah, and Vance, I turn and make my way through the chaos of New Eden. The destruction around me mirrors the turmoil in my heart as I search for Gunnar.
I weave through the debris-strewn streets, the cries of victory and anguish mingling in the air. As I pass by groups of survivors tending to the wounded and clearing away rubble, my thoughts are consumed by Gunnar’s tortured expression when he realized Luka’s scent lingered on me. I follow the path down to the docks, following the old cobblestones we took on that fateful night when I lost my mother. I can scent Gunnar here, his trail clear.
The boat is already starting up when I get to the docks, and I increase my speed to try and reach him on foot. I can see him at the pilot’s chair, looking stalwartly toward the horizon.
“Gunnar!” I scream.
He looks back at me.
For an instant, I think he’s going to stop this. For an instant, I think he’ll get off the boat, come to me with open arms, let me explain.
But he doesn’t say a word.
The boat revs and pulls away, and my shoulders slump. All I can do is watch as he leaves me behind, fresh off my rescue.
This time, I’m the one left on the dock.
And yeah, I can track him down again once we get back to the city…but it feels like a piece of me just died.
Chapter twenty-eight
Luka
Eyelids heavy like concrete slabs, I pry them open. The world rocks gently beneath me, and the scent of salt and sea invades my senses.
We must have escaped…but how?"
Aisling's there, inches away, her chest rising and falling with a rhythm that echoes the sway of the boat. She’s slumped over in a small chair, a blanket covering her, hair freshly washed.
We’re all okay.
I think.
I hope.
"Hey," I rasp, voice a stranger to my own ears.
She stirs, lashes fluttering before her blue eyes lock on mine. "Luka. You're awake."
"Seems like it." I push myself up, joints protesting, and scan our surroundings. It's just us on this small vessel, the steady throb of the engine somewhere below. No sign of Gunnar, Vance, Rook, Oberon…no one. My gut twists. "Where's—"
