They sailed toward a yawning black, a darkness so pervasive that it made her insides cold. Ally held her breath as the ships disappeared one by one inside the blackness, until Lyk’s own ship pierced the dark.
Ally hugged herself, fighting off goosebumps as the black swallowed them, but then suddenly, the black vanished, resolving itself into multicolored lines that seemed to dance around the ship. It took her a minute to realize that they only seemed to dance because they were going at incredible speeds.
“The wormhole,” she whispered. “This must be what it looks like to be inside one.” It was a sight few had seen in their lifetimes. Ally stood there in awe, watching as they seemed to float through a tunnel of dancing light.
“There you are.”
She didn’t turn at the sound of Lyk’s voice. She wasn’t ready to engage with him again. Lyk Vartik made her feel too many emotions at once.
“We’re going to Vartik. There, we can decide what the best course of action is.”
“It’s been several hours already. Assuming that demon who can teleport got them back to Hell instantly, my sister has been in the most frightening and terrible place in all the known galaxies for hours. Who knows what they’ve subjected her to by now?”
She could feel his heat as he moved close behind her. Putting his hands on her arms, he gently rubbed them up and down. “I know how you must feel. I understand your impatience.”
“Do you?” she said, whirling around to confront him. “How could you? Has your sister ever been kidnapped and taken to literal Hell by literal demons?”
Lyk shook his head, opening his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. “Then how could you know how I feel? Every second I waste is another second she suffers. She’s probably thinking I abandoned her to this fate, and if you and your brothers had your way, Iwouldabandon her!”
He stepped closer, grabbing her arms and staring intently into her eyes. “You’re not abandoning her. But we’re not about to go off half-cocked when it comes to the Crown Prince of Hell. What good would a failed rescue mission do?”
“At least we would have tried!”
“I know you’re upset, but you have to trust me. We’re going to help you, but we have to do this together.”
“Why would I trust you? You’ve given me no reason to!”
Lyk flinched as if she’d slapped him. His eyes narrowed, and Ally felt a twinge of regret at her words. He hadn’t lied about the necklace. Evie had. And he’d done his best to help them so far.
“You haven’t cornered the market on tragedy, sweetheart,” he said, his voice low and hard. “I’ve seen men do great and terrible things, things that will make what happened to Rigellus seem like a mercy killing. One thing I’ve learned in my time as a raider is that if you don’t pick your battles, you lose them. And if you go off alone, you die alone.”
Ally swallowed. His intensity was getting to her. She stepped back out of his grip and unconsciously hugged herself. “What happens when we get to Vartik?”
“Everyone puts their heads together and we figure out how to make a raid on Dazimin.” His expression said he was conflicted, an interplay of anger and frustration mixing with anxiety. This wasn’t the homecoming Lyk had been expecting—if he’d been expecting one.
“I see.” She turned back to look out the window again. Behind him, she heard Lyk’s breathing, then a curse that was almost too soft to pick up. Then a huff of air and footsteps, heading away from her.
Once they reached Vartik, she’d be trapped. Stuck in endless meetings debating how best to rescue her sister, maybe even whether to rescue her. Seven brothers, six wives, and a handful of additional Guardians, all trying to pull together a plan. How long would it take for that group to come up with a solution?
And Ally would be powerless to do anything. She would watch in despair as the minutes turned into days, until the hope of recovering her sister alive and well dwindled to nothing.
I can’t let that happen.
Ally couldn’t get trapped on Vartik. Which meant she’d have to find a way off this ship before they arrived at Lyk’s home world.
I’ve got to steal a lifeboat and set out on my own.
It was a dangerous plan. First, how would she even manage? Everything seemed to be locked down and she didn’t have access. Second, even if she did manage to steal a lifeboat, how would she ever make it to Dazimin when she had no idea where she was? And if she did make it to the hell planet, how could one woman alone rescue her sister from a horde of demons?
I can’t think about that, or I’ll never act. The only thing I need to worry about is how to get a lifeboat off this ship without Lyk and his crew stopping me.
Ally knew it would be a near impossible task, but she wasn’t going to give up without trying. She had to save Evie. She couldn’t let her sister down.
She’d do whatever she had to. Lie. Cheat. Steal.
Kill.
Even sacrifice whatever connection she felt between herself and the dashing pirate.
