Chapter 7
Gissandre woke to a swimming head and pain in her arm and thigh. The last thing she remembered was Urcolin—
She lurched up to a sitting position, her eyes darting around the cramped compartment as her stomach churned. She’d moved too fast. She grabbed the wall to steady herself, feeling disoriented and sick.
I’m dressed. I’m okay, she thought, breathing through her mouth. The room was so small. Was it a prison cell? She moved experimentally. She wasn’t sore between her legs, so she hadn’t been raped while unconscious.
The door slid open and she jerked back, pressing against the wall. But Urcolin didn’t lean in. Instead, there was a tall, muscled man in skin shorts who entered. There was barely room for him in the entryway. She followed the line of his abs up to the light brown hair of his chest. He had three parallel freshly healing scars on his left side like he’d been clawed by an animal. The beard was a matching light brown, but his hair was a sandy blond, and the eyes were green.
She sucked in a breath. The dyed beard covered most of his face and the dulled hair on his head was a good disguise, but she recognized those eyes.
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re going to stay in those clothes until we touch down. On this trip, you’re my younger brother who’s been abusing drugs.”
She stared at him.
“Tell me you understand.”
“I understand what you want me to say. Where are we?”
“If you let it be known that you’re a girl, and any of them decides to take advantage of that fact, I’ll likely have to kill the whole crew to prevent it. I can’t pilot a ship this size on my own. I’m betting you can’t either. Let’s let the crew live so they can land the ship.”
She gaped at him. “How many crew members are there?”
“Five.”
As if he could take on five men and win? More ridiculous bragging. “How did you get me away from Urcolin?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Did you kill him?”
“No.”
“Why not?” she asked. She wished he’d actually been a Ketturan warrior, who’d killed Urcolin out of necessity.
“The timing wasn’t right.”
“Of course it wasn’t,” she said skeptically. “Now he’ll find us and take me back.” She shook her head. She had to get away as quickly and quietly as possible.
“He won’t, but it’s an important thing for us to talk about since you behaved badly the last time we were confronted. If it comes to a fight, don’t ever step out from behind me when I put you there. It limits my options.”
“If you say so,” she said dismissively. “Did you bribe one of his mercenaries to get me? Because they may have followed you to this ship. They may be waiting for us when we land.”
“Bribe one of his mercenaries? No.”
“Then how?”
“You should be able to guess.”
“Ah, yes. You’re a skilled warrior who can slay an army if needed.”
“You doubt my abilities?” he asked, sounding genuinely surprised. “Who do you think I am, Gissandre?”
“What?” she asked, looking around for her bag. It wasn’t there. No small stash of currency or food. And worst of all, no com. She looked at the two puncture marks on her forearm. Urcolin had been smart enough to remove her implantable sensor to keep the school from tracking her, but now that would work to his disadvantage. Unless he’d placed one of his own somewhere. She patted herself down. Nothing hurt except the spot on her thigh where he’d used the pressure syringe.
“What are you doing?”
