Lyro swiftly changes his hold on me, banding one arm around my shoulders and grasping my jaw with the other hand. Arms somewhat freed, I elbow him in the gut. He tenses his abs just before I strike, so it probably hurts me more than him, but his breath hisses out, and his grip on my jaw tightens.
I brace for the quick snap, knowing I only have a second to live. He will likely die a second afterward, if the Frathiks have their way with him.
Why did I fight? It never works. It didn’t save my babies, and now I can’t save myself, either.
Then the guards are on us with their zerduks, and a rippling, paralyzing shock hits me, traveling through us both. I crumple backward into Lyro, who’s in no better shape. His cramped legs fail, and we tumble into the ship. Somehow, he hits the wall control on the way down, and the door slams shut behind us.
The sound of guard hammering on the door outside are surprisingly muted. I crawl away from him, tearing my nails on the floor grates. Any second, he’ll be on me again. There’s nowhere to run in here except out, so I stretch toward the wallcontrol. But just before I can skim the button, he finds my ankles, jerking me back to him.
“No,” he says roughly, folding me in his arms, wrapping me in his cloak like the Grim Reaper himself. He feels so good, and I hate that this is our end.
“Hurry up and kill me,” I sob into his chest, beating him with my fists. I can tell it doesn’t hurt him, because he doesn’t even try to stop me. “I can’t take any more.”
He pets my hair, holding me close so my strikes are ineffective. “I can’t,” he rasps. “I tried, and I couldn’t.”
“Another lie,” I choke out. “I should have known.”
“You should have,” he agrees. I don’t know whether he means because he’s a proven liar or because he could never bring himself to kill me. When he shifts so he can kiss all over my face, blotting the tears with his lips, I decide it doesn’t matter. It’s the same thing.
Chapter 26
Lyro
“What are we going to do?” Lena whispers. “They’re not going to open the door. There’s no way out of this.”
There is a way. A simple one. “We’ll stay.”
She sits up, her mouth open, eyes red and swollen, throat bruised by my frixing fingers. “They’ll kill you!”
In fact, I can hear them outside conspiring to do just that. Surprisingly, Harl is the one arguing that I should be spared. Perhaps he hopes to buy Lena’s favor with his gesture of mercy.
“Maybe not,” I lie. “And if they do, I probably deserve it.”
“No. I won’t let them. I’ll figure something out.” Her jaw sets. Little Queen of Nothing, who knew she was so fierce?
“I like you with your claws sharp.”
“Shut up, I’m thinking.” Her warrior’s scowl makes me laugh, which only makes her scowl even more. “This isn’t something to laugh about!”
“Annoying, isn’t it?” I smirk at her, oddly lighthearted now that I know my fate. Is this what happiness feels like, this giddy rush that sweeps away all my bitter objections? “I think I love you.”
“Are youdrunk?” Lena squints at me in disbelief.
“Facing death seems like a good time to be honest.” I push her hair back behind her rounded ear so I can see the red-and-purple claim on her neck, teeth marks circling it like petals. It’s the same color as my fingerprints on the other side. This is us, bond and bruise.
I trace my fingers over the tender spot, and she shudders, her lids falling shut. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I meant it, but I’m sorry. I love you,” I tell her again. “Not drunk. In case I don’t have a chance to say it later.”
“Shut up. Save it for when we get out of this mess.”
“You’re so stupid,” I say fondly, my affection for her so swollen that my chest aches. “There’s no getting out of it. One mess leads to another mess. The whole universe is mess within mess, forever.”
Lena huffs, pushing me away and standing. “I used to think I wanted to know what you were feeling, but I changed my mind.”
I prop my head on my hand and grin up at her from the floor. “That’s right, scold me. That’s why Alioth sent you from another star system, to teach me a lesson. Goddess knows, she tested every blade in the Five Planets to find one that would leave a mark.”
She plants her tiny foot in the center of my chest. “You want me to punish you? Fine. Stay here and keep your mouth shut. I’m going out to talk to them.”
What?I sit up to stop her, but it’s too late. She already unlocked the hatch and flitted out of reach. The hangar explodes with noise when she exits the bird. Harl and Rose rush toward her, flanked by guards. I watch through the narrow doorway as she holds up her hands, motioning for them to stop. Every cell in my body is on alert, ready to lock myself in or rush out to defend her.
