"And the echoes? You said they were in the storm."
"They could sense me. They wanted—" I broke off, not sure how to explain.
"They wanted to pull you in. Make you one of them." His jaw tightened. "That's what happens to rifts who open themselves too fully. The echoes recognize the connection, and they try to claim it."
"You knew that could happen?"
"I suspected. Rifts are rare enough that there's not a lot of documentation on what they can do. Or what the void can do to them." He released my shoulder. "You took a risk coming up here."
"It paid off."
"This time. Next time you might not be so lucky. Good work, though. Your navigation was solid." I tried not to look too smug. "Get some rest," he said. "We'll assess the damage inthe morning and make repairs. For now, we need to put some distance between us and that storm."
I nodded and started toward the stairs, but his voice stopped me. “Scavenger—” I turned back. "Thank you. For the help." He paused, as if the words cost him something, as if he wasn't used to handing out praise. "You may have just saved all our lives." And then he turned away, back to the helm and the work of keeping his ship safe.
I couldn’t sleep,so I dressed and left my quarters, planning on making some hot tea, and finding Zoya. Talking with her distracted my mind, and I liked helm duty. It was peaceful up there. The corridor below deck was narrow, dark, and easy to get turned around on a ship this large. I turned the corner too quickly and nearly ran straight intohim.
Cypher stopped short. So did I.
For a second, neither of us moved. The ship rolled gently beneath our feet, wood creaking. His hand came up to steady himself against the wall beside my head, more reflex than anything else, and the space between us disappeared.
He didn’t touch me, but he was close enough that if either of us leaned any which way, that would change. My back pressed into the planks, nowhere to step without brushing past him.
“Going somewhere?” he asked, one dark eyebrow raised. His earring glinted, the rough-cut amber crystal reflecting the low golden light. It matched his eyes, I noticed.
“Obviously,” I clipped, as if I wandered around in the dark for fun.
His gaze shifted, wandering lazily over my face. “You should be sleeping while you can. Once we’re deeper in, rest of any kind will be a luxury.”
The hull groaned as we adjusted course, and the floor tilted just enough that my shoulder brushed his chest. The contact was accidental, but it sure didn’tfeelaccidental. He could have moved out of my way at any time. Maybe he was trying to scare me. Keep me compliant and under his thumb.
“Scavenger,” he said quietly, tilting his head, studying me too closely. I didn’t like it. This man saw too much.
I slid sideways to pass him, and unfortunately, it required contact. There was no way around it. My hip brushed his, my arm sliding along his torso as I squeezed through. He was so large it made me feel two feet tall.
He went very, very still.
So did I.
His hand shot out and caught my wrist. I froze, my temper flaring momentarily. I didn’t like being manhandled, especially by men who thought they had immunity to consequences, and Cypher seemed like one of those men.
"That was reckless today," he said, his voice a low whisper, careful not to wake anyone. "Brilliant, but still reckless."
"It worked, didn't it?" I pulled against his grip, but he didn't release me. He wasn’t even trying.
"I never said otherwise, Juno. In fact, I think weneedrecklessness if we’re going to successfully pull this off."
My name in his mouth did something strange to my insides. He'd rarely used it, as if calling me anything but ‘scavenger’ was too intimate.
"I know the risks I’m taking,” I said. "I've been navigating the void since I was?—"
"Since you were sixteen. Yes, you've mentioned." His thumb moved slightly against my pulse, and I wondered if he couldfeel how fast my heart was beating. "The Shallows are nothing compared to where we're going. The Deep will test you in ways you can't imagine."
I lifted my chin. “Kora and I can handle ourselves. We wouldn’t be here otherwise. I’m not an idiot, believe it or not.”
Something flickered in his copper eyes. Not exactly amusement, but damn close. "Maybe you can. Today was... very impressive."
I didn’t know what he’d expected. I joined this mission because I knew I could handle it. I might not be a wayfarer captain with a fancy wing ship, but my instinct was sound.
