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A simple answer to a simple question—no need to flip out.
She stood from her chair and watched Caligher with steely purpose. “We have to go after them.”
“Oh, believe me, I’m going to,” he said.
The sharpness of his words needled at every insecurity hovering just beneath the surface. When his eyes passed over her, laced with a flicker of something she wholly did not like, her awareness of him became acute. A door had slammed shut between them.
“Cal?”
He glanced at the portal, then back to her, his eyes glacial. That was when she knew something was deeply wrong.
“We can catch up,” she rushed. “Our ships are faster. I have a way to stop their weapons. It’llwork,Caligher. They’ll never see us before we cripple them.”
He stood in silence, chewing on her words. One by one rejecting them.
“You should go home, Lucca.”
The world slipped off its axis, leaving only a violent ringing in her ears.
“What?!”
“The portal is right there. You have your ship. I have mine. This is where we part ways.”
She stared at him in flabbergasted disbelief.
Home.
It was a goddamn condemnation. Insecurity and hollowness sharpened into anger. Balling her fists, she took a step closer, noting how his watchful eyes flickered at her. “Excuse me? You don’t get to decide that for me.”
He stared at her for a long time before he spoke. “What’s about to happen here—it’s not a thing someone like you should ever see.”
Caligher blurred in front of her eyes, turning double.
No—no crying. Cry, and you’ll lose everything.
She rapidly searched every nook and cranny and secret corner in her soul for confidence. She dragged up whatever was there. It felt insubstantial. Hell, it felt downright vaporous. But she clasped it with everything she had. Shoving down tears, she stood her ground becausefuck him.
“No.”
“No?” he repeated, his fins shifting upright. Her body twitched with the fight coursing through her.
“No. That’s my choice. I’m not leaving.”
He stared at her for so long she knew he was trying to preemptively win the battle with his stare alone. She could taste the fallout brewing on the dense cabin air. She had scented it gathering for weeks.
“This isn’t a thing you can yank out from under me,” she said. “Staying here ismychoice—not yours—and that ship is full of people who are my responsibility.”
His eyes were unforgiving. “How are you planning to take responsibility for them? They left a moon on fire. Are you going to let them know it was a misunderstanding? Will yourcommanderlisten to you?” His teeth bared on the venomous title, showing his disdain. He stalked forward to drive his point home with sheer physical size.
Still, she held her ground.
“You can shove that argument up your ass!” she snarled. “We’re going to follow that ship and I’ll shut it the fuck back down. End of story.”
“And turn me over to them at the same time? I can’t fucking wait.” The vicious cut of his words stabbed at her. He’d never turned on her like this.
But she came back with her own knives drawn. “Oh? I doubt I have to go that far. I’m sure you’ll jump your happy ass on their ship no matter what I do—because you’re a maniac with a death wish! And you’re trying to kick me out so you can meet it!” Grabbing his arm, she got in his face. “That is not happening!”
Caligher ran a hand through his crown of fins, trying to smooth them back down. “Lucca, please. This isn’t how I wanted to say goodbye.”
