“I will miss you so much.” Clara inhaled deeply as if to stop herself from crying. “You probably don’t realize it, but you have helped shape me into who I am, and I’m so grateful. You have always been so fiercely yourself, and I hope to be half the woman that you are.”
Isobel’s chest constricted as emotion clogged her throat. “Don’t tell your father that,” she said through a sound that was half sob and half laugh. “I will miss you so much, too, Clara. You’re my best friend and confidante. And you’re my favorite niece—don’t tell Elizabeth.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” she vowed.
“Well, then.” With great reluctance, Isobel released Clara. “I’ll have to see if Ved has room for all these. He likes these novels, too,” she explained, which led Clara off on a whole other line of inquiry.
After that, time was nothing but a whirlwind. Isobel wrote a note for Cook and one for Mrs. Keats. While Clara was busy asking Ved a thousand questions—and Henry worked hard to keep his face neutral—Isobel went to collect several lavender plants to take with her. She only hoped she could get them to survive on Runus.
Standing before the rows of flowers, she said goodbye to the lavender field, too. It had been a sanctuary all her life, and if not for the purple sprigs, she wouldn’t have seen Ved’s ship crash that night. It felt like both mere days ago and an eternity since that fatefulevening.
Next, she collected flowers and lavender to lay on her parents’ graves. “I finally found where I belong,” she murmured to the headstones. “And you were right, Papa. Strong and beautiful things do take time to grow into themselves.”
Would they be proud of the woman she’d become? Would they support her choices? Something told her it would have taken a little longer to convince them that she would be safe with Ved, but she liked to think he’d have earned their approval.
By the time she made it back to the manor, Ved had already taken herthreetrunks of belongings to the ship—which included some of her attire, but mostly books and a tea set she’d talked Henry into letting her have.
Before she knew it, they were all gathered on the front steps to say their final goodbyes. Isobel and Clara embraced so tightly she feared they would injure each other.
“I wish I could come with you. I’m so jealous that you get to travel across the cosmos,” her niece said as more tears rolled down her cheeks.
Henry made a sound of disapproval.
“We could all go,” Clara suggested. “A family venture, if you will.”
“I’m not ready for such daring adventures yet,” Henry said evenly before offering Ved his hand. Ved studied it before clasping her brother’s forearm.
Henry recovered quickly. “Look after her, Ved,” he said, looking directly into his visor.
“I swear it,” her mate vowed.
When she hugged Henry one last time, he whispered, “I just want you to be happy and taken care of. That’s all I’ve ever really wanted.”
And she knew it was the truth.
When nothing but tears remained, they shared one last round of heartfelt goodbyes. With a potted lavender plant in one hand and Ved’sforearm in another, she descended the steps. When she was at the edge of the gardens, Isobel turned to wave and commit their faces to memory.
Yet something told her it wouldn’t be the last time she saw them.
Chapter 43
Ved
“They are almost here,” Exxo alerted.
Ved had known the Blood Vultures would come for them if they were still on the planet. His ship didn’t have the same capabilities as the Kroids’ to go undetected, after all.
He sensed them the moment he boarded the ship. “Isobel.”
“Hm?” she hummed noncommittally as she looked at her small mountain of belongings with a slight crease in her brow.
“Stay behind me,” he ordered, closing a hand around her wrist and pulling her toward him.
Her honey eyes widened, her body tensed. But there was little fear there—only lavender and sunshine. She trusted him to protect her.
“What’s—” She didn’t have time to finish the question as Ved moved between her and the ship’s entrance.
The Blood Vultures decloaked at the same time, both only paces from him. They each held pistols—one aimed at his hearts, the other at his head.
