“It does.”
We made our way to the cabin. Small. Functional. The bed was narrow but clean. The shower was sonic.
I slipped his torn shirt off and stepped into the shower, letting the sonic waves wash away days of fear and adrenaline and running.
When I emerged, Brevan was sitting on the bed. He’d cleaned up too. The Regalia sat on the small desk. Safe.
He’d left a plain black tunic and a pair of soft gray pants on the bed. His.
I pulled them on. They were too big, but they were warm and clean.
I crossed to him. Stood between his legs. His hands came up to my waist.
“We’re really free,” I said.
“We’re really free.”
“What happens now?”
“Now?” He pulled me down onto his lap. “Now we go to The Penumbra. Meet the crew. Plan our next move. The Regalia wasthe fourth key. There’s one more. After that, we go after the Conclave.”
“And me? Where do I fit in all of this?”
He looked at me. Red eyes serious. “Wherever you want. You’re free now. Truly free. You can stay with us. Join the crew. Or we can drop you somewhere safe. Give you credits. A new identity. Let you build whatever life you want.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to stay.” His voice was quiet. Raw. “I want you to choose this life. Choose me. But only if it’s what you actually want. Not because you’re grateful or because you don’t have other options.”
I kissed him. Soft. “I already made my choice, Brevan.”
He went still.
“On that bridge,” I said. “When Tarsus made his offer. I chose you. I’m with you. That’s my decision.”
His shoulders lost a tension I hadn't realized they were carrying. “Good.”
“So,” I said, settling against his chest. “Tell me aboutThe Penumbra. Tell me about the crew. Tell me what we do next.”
BREVAN
The Penumbrawas exactly as I’d left it. Dark hull. Powerful engines. Weapons systems that would make most military vessels jealous. Home.
Kallum docked the transport smoothly. The ship’s bay doors closed behind us. Artificial gravity stabilized. We were safe. Actually safe for the first time since the villa.
I helped Carys out of the transport. Flinx leaped down beside us, his eyes shifting to curious blue as he examined the new environment.
The bay opened into the main corridor. And waiting there was the crew.
Rylos stood at the front, his arms crossed. His deep violet traceries were stark against his gray skin, and his cold eyes missed nothing. As the Hand’s leader and architect, he saw everything as a schematic, and I’d just brought him a variable he hadn’t planned for.
Beside him stood the others. Talon and Tamsin, their matching cobalt sigils a clear sign of their bond. Zarek and Bronwen, his iron-grey and her new, bright silver, stood together. Varrick and Sabine, emerald green. Kallum, his blacktraceries fading into his uniform, had already moved to join them.
The whole family.
I felt Carys pause beside me. Her eyes scanned the other human women—Tamsin, Bronwen, Sabine—and their visible, permanent sigils. I felt her realization: I’m not the first. I’m not an anomaly.
“You’re alive,” Rylos said. It was as close to ‘welcome back’ as he ever got. “Good. I was prepared to mount a rescue operation.”
