His eyes widened fractionally. “You can tell that?”
I nodded. “Any time a nearby fluxstone is close to empty or has already run out, it’s like they sort of… call to me and let me know they need more power.” I fidgeted with his shirt collar. “I don’t think I’m explaining it well, but I can feel it.”
“Wow. That’s impressive.”
I shrugged. It didn’t feel impressive. It felt… normal and unassuming to me. Back home, where fluxstones originated, I’d felt them calling to me all the time. Sometimes from within others’ homes, sometimes from deep within the ground, sometimes from the surrounding mountains or forest. It was so common that I’d learned to ignore it unless a stone was very close to me.
Out here in the open air, with only a certain number of stones on the ship, it’d become more noticeable when one had run out. It was still pretty constant, but it was mostly smaller fluxstones, so they didn’t bother me as badly. The engine fluxstones were a different matter.
And because I spent so much time with Max, so very close to him, I was vastly aware of the stones in his prosthetic.
“Do you mind if I…” I trailed off, gesturing to his prosthetic as I slid off his lap to sit beside him.
He blinked. “Oh. Uh, sure.”
Without waiting for him to change his mind, I placed my hand on top of his prosthetic. I swore my magic sighed in relief as I pushed power into the fluxstones there. It was such a relief to finally fix that for him, even if my body—and my magic—was exhausted after all that’d happened today.
My eyes blinked closed as I topped off each stone in his leg, and I slumped into Max’s side as I finally pulled my magic back. His stones were fully charged and ready to go, and I was the opposite, exhausted and ready to sleep.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, kissed my hair, and pulled me down to lie on his bed. I snuggled into him, burying my nose in his neck and praying he didn’t let me go—ever.
He pressed his lips to my temple. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”
My brow furrowed. Did I say that out loud? Or did he read my mind somehow?
I murmured, “Thank you, Max. I… I don’t want to lose you.”
He sucked in a breath, and his voice broke. “I don’t want to lose you, either.”
My heart felt heavy—with affection, with worry, with fear—but just for tonight, I decided to let Max help hold some of the weight.
Tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow, I’d face the consequences, face the crew, and find out exactly what kind of plans Viper had for me.
I shivered, and Max pulled a blanket over the top of us, holding me even tighter in his arms. So I focused on that, on him. I focused on his hard body pressed against me, on his rough fingers brushing over my skin, on his stubble prickling my face, on his scent—the ocean mixed with the desert air and his musky sweat—on his heartbeat, steady and strong.
I focused on him until he was all I thought about, and then finally, I let my body fall into a restless sleep.
21
Maximus
“And where is he now?” Viper’s thick fingers drummed against his desk as he fixed me with a piercing stare. “Has Stitches patched him up?”
My mind flashed back to this morning. Waking with Kas’s body pressed against mine, his face peaceful in sleep, lips slightly parted. I’d watched him for longer than I should have, memorizing the scatter of freckles across his nose, the way his ginger lashes rested against his cheeks.
I’d barely slept, mind churning through the same impossible choice that kept plaguing me. Icouldabandon the skies to stay in Asteris with him—something I’d never have even entertained before him. But it would be selfish. Dangerous, reckless, stupid. It wouldn’t just be my true identity being discovered that would put us at risk, but we’d have to hide from Viper, as well. He was hardly going to rest knowing his first mate ran off with his most valuable asset.
Or, I could leave Kas at Asteris. Alone. Keep him safe, and lose the only person who’d ever made me want to choose love oversurvival. The weight of that decision had pressed against my chest all night, stealing any hope of rest.
When Kas finally stirred, those green eyes had opened slowly, finding mine. For one perfect moment, he’d given me a sleepy smile that warmed something long-frozen inside me. Then reality crashed back—his face fell, eyes darkening as yesterday’s events rushed back. The reveal. The panic. The fear of what came next.
I’d held him tighter then, not ready to let him face the day.
Ariella had been surprisingly helpful, spreading word that Kas had spent the night in Stitches’ cupboard, under “medical supervision” after his episode. I wasn’t sure what would happen tonight, but there was no way Kas wasn’t spending it curled against me again. I couldn’t go back to sleeping alone, not now that I knew the soft sound of his snores, the feel of his hair tickling my face.
I straightened my shoulders, keeping my expression neutral. “He’s working, Captain. Same as usual.”
Viper crossed the room with heavy steps, pulling an ornate crystal decanter from a hidden cabinet. He poured two large helpings of rum and extended one toward me.
