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“After I left you with the Star Network, I went to find her.” Rylec paused, swallowed, but his eyes didn’t leave her. “She’s been with Calanthe’s court this entire time.”
Inez closed her eyes shut, trying to banish the wave of nausea that swept over. How could this day get worse? Empress Calanthehadher daughter. She wasn’t in some orphanage or being raised by adoptive parents. Her daughter was in the monster’s grasp right this second. Would it even be possible to save her without surrendering? The single scar on her back burned at the thought. The empress had whipped her a thousand times, but that first night, she had left a single gash unhealed.Inez could still feel the female’s breath on her ear as she leaned down to whisper, “Something to remember me by, little dove.”
The pod’s rumbling increased as it moved into position for launch. The movement jerked Inez out of the memory. Rylec watched her, waiting. With other archlords and servants, he had no patience, demanding answers immediately. But he had always waited for her. During those first few months as his star-maid, he hadn’t asked a single thing about what she suffered at the empress’s hand. He knew—everyone knew. But he didn’t say a word about any of it until she was ready.
“And what about you?”
He paused. “I was sent to Janus.”
Inez flinched. He didn’t need to say anything more. Janus was a barren wasteland where traitors and prisoners went to rot. The loyal courtiers of Rylec’s father, Emperor Oriel, hadn’t lasted a month after Empress Calanthe dumped them there. The fact he was still alive spoke volumes.
Inez wanted to hug him close, but there was no room for that in the pod. Since Rylec had walked back into her life, Inez had been nothing but cruel. This whole time, he was protecting their family. Inez gazed at her star-husband, memorizing the strong lines of his face. Whatever happened next, she’d never doubt him again. “Promise me you won’t let the empress have her. Youwillrescue Soriya, Rylec. No matter what.”
Those dark eyes didn’t leave her. “I failed you once. I won’t again.”
“Good.”
The escape pod dinged. “Prepare for launch. 3… 2… 1…”
Inez sat back in her seat, her entire body clenching. She hated space travel. No matter how many years had passed, she’d never forget that first night in the hunters’ ship, huddled together with all the other children unlucky enough to have a star-shaped birthmark.
The pod launched.
The pressure pushed Inez’s body back against the seat. Through the tiny window at her head, tubes and wires flashed by so quickly she couldn’t even guess at what they were. She closed her eyes. Inez had seen the great black expanse of space enough for an entire lifetime.
Rylec’s foot nudged her own. They couldn’t speak, but Inez knew the touch better than words.
I’m here, star-wife.
Suddenly, the shaking smoothed and the light changed from bright fluorescent to a dimmer glow. Inez let out a long breath before opening her eyes to space. Stars twinkled in the distance, a beautiful and calming dance. Inez didn’t hate the stars, no matter how many of her nightmares they featured in. It was everything else that made her queasy. The tiny escape pod, beeping and blinking. TheParadisebehind them, the strobing emergency lights through the windows visible a mile away. And below it all, Tertia, an uninhabited swatch of green. If Inez’s eyes could pierce the perception shields surrounding the planet, what she saw would look more like a sci-fi movie than a nature documentary.
And somewhere on that planet, the empress had Soriya. The throne of Sollir was planets away, but Calanthe wouldn’t use a hologram for their reunion. The empress would want to touch her. Her magic wouldn’t work otherwise.
Inez wouldn’t stumble into that bitch’s arms willingly. To save her daughter, she would return, but only as the last resort. “What’s the plan?”
“Once we arrive on Tertia, we’ll only have a few hours before they track us down.” Rylec input coordinates into the escape pod’s limited flight system. “I still have allies scattered throughout Tertia. I’ve been in contact with a Tertian archlord,too, though I’m not sure who. If we land outside Zareen in Archlord Nassius’s province, then we might—”
Something hard thumped against the outside of the ship. The lights flickered. The pod spun. Inez grabbed for Rylec’s hand. Through the windows, she spotted a piece of theParadise, floating aimlessly. Something must have come loose in the explosion—
A light shot past them with a bright burst of color.
Rylec grabbed her hand. “Nez, close your eyes.”
That bright light… “Was that a missile?”
Before Rylec could answer, theParadiseerupted into a burst of light. The ship cracked and crumbled. A huge chunk speared out, propelled by the force of the explosion. It rocked straight for them—
Everything went dark.
Chapter 7
“Inez?” Something soft and warm brushed her face. “Please be okay.”
Inez clawed from the darkness, drawn byhisvoice. The voice that had haunted her for three years. She hadn’t chosen to leave Rylec. They had planned to escape together, the three of them seeking sanctuary on Artema. Neither of them knew if the Artemans would accept an archlord, but they had to try. There was no place for them on Sollir with Calanthe as empress. Not for Rylec and definitely not for Inez.
In the end, it hadn’t been an issue. Only Inez had escaped. And every night since, her body and soul ached for Rylec and their daughter. Ached for the life they could have had. Ached for the family she lost.
“Inez?”
