“That’s a lie!” Hannover cried. “He can’t seriously think anyone will believe this!”
“You missed the first part,” Zane snarled, switching off the screen. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and the scratchy sheets in his lap slid away. “They’re charging me. As your accomplice to murder.”
Hannover’s mouth fell open.
“Zane…” Mira put her calloused hand on his arm, but he flung it aside.
“Give us a minute.”
“Go easy on her,” Mira said, rising to her feet. The wheels on her stool screeched against the floor’s metal grooves, and her boots clomped towards the exit.
Zane inhaled the sharp scent of rubbing alcohol, mixed with the minty odor of okul salve. In and out, in and out. His short, noisy breaths did nothing to calm the roaring in his chest.
Even his money wasn’t worth this. His life was over.
The door clicked shut behind Mira, and Hannover looked down at her shoes.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” Zane lurched off the bed. A mild twinge of pain shot through his healed arm, but he needed to move. He couldn’t sit still as his life crumbled. “Do you understand what this means? Every bounty hunter, merc, and legionnaire will be hunting me, thanks to you.”
Hannover threw her hands up. “If you hadn’t blackmailed me, you wouldn’t be in this mess!”
“And if you’d just let me be in the mess hall, I would’ve been fine!”
Zane stormed to the other end of the medbay, past the line of empty beds and floating vitals charts. Sparse lights flickered above him.
“Nowhere is safe. Nowhere.” Zane clenched his teeth. “No matter how far my family gets from yours, you guys still find a way to screw up our lives.”
The deep thrum of the space station’s distant energy generators buzzed in Zane’s ears. Scowling, he looked at Hannover, expecting to see her head down in shame.
She was gnawing on her lip. “Mira told me it was your plan to save me from Krii.”
“I wanted my money. I suppose that’s my fault, too?”
Hannover shook her head. “Thank you.”
He nearly snapped at her again, but her soft voice stopped him. He’d known it before, but seeing her standing there—living, breathing, very much alive—it struck him. She could’ve died yesterday. His fingers drifted to the chain of metal beads tucked under his shirt, and he ran the string between his thumb and index finger. At least he’d savedsomeone.
Even if that someone was a self-centered royal.
“Let me make it right,” Hannover urged. “I can’t guarantee I’ll get you the lordship quickly, and it’ll take a while for me to go through the proper channels to get your money?—”
Zane huffed, dropped the hidden chain around his neck, and crossed the room. Excuse after excuse, it was how her whole family operated.
“Listen to me.” Hannover’s rapid footfalls tapped against the steel floor, and Zane stopped, pinching his nose. “I know the situation isn’t ideal. But if you come to Dali with me, I’ll give you asylum there. You’ll have to keep our deal quiet. If anyone finds out that I’m giving you a portion of Avington, it could jeopardize our plans.”
“If I come to Dali, won’t it be obvious you have plans for Avington?”
“Not if you come back as my guard.”
Zane’s jaw went slack.
“You were a soldier, right? I saw you fight, so I know you have the skills. Most… most of my guard is gone…” Hannover made a small, choked sound and looked down at her shoes.
Zane could only stare. It took men decades of service to get offered that job. Grandfather had done five foreign tours of duty before Duchissa Coriana offered him a post on her Azurian Guard, and even then, the offer had been unexpected.
“What makes you think I have any interest in risking my life for you?”
