I slide a few inches closer to the edge and peer down.The mist swirls, and occasional openings allow quick glimpses at the bottom.Sure enough, flashes of metal and Volderen writing peek through.“It’s not as far down as I’d thought.”
“It is not.”He pushes himself in front of me and holds out the cord.“Arms?”I lift my arms and he bends forward, decreasing his towering height over me as he slips his hands around my ribs, doing something with the cord against my spine.
For a brief moment, I regret wearing my pressure suit because I can’t stop wondering how his bare fingers would feel against my skin, how his breath would feel against my ear, how his—
“Ellie,” he says, his voice dangerously low as he steps back.“You must pay attention.”
“Right, right.S-sorry.”My cheeks are a flaming, causing my eyes to water.
“What did I just say?”He puts a hand on his hip.
Damn, why did I have to get distracted by my lizard brain’s focus on sex?With a frown, I replay what he’d said while I stared at him like a moron and undressed him with my eyes.“That…that I only need to make my way to the escape hatch on top, get inside, and access the power panel on the left for the power core.”
“Correct.”He gives my suit a once-over, then pulls the cord, ensuring it still wraps me tightly.“It is probably better that you are going instead of me.I am not sure I would be able to fit through the emergency opening.I wish the cockpit had survived whatever caused it to crash.”
“Okay.I’ll be quick.I have plenty of oxygen, just don’t drop me.”
He shakes his head.“This is a Volderen rappelling unit, which means it will do most of the work with a press of its button.I will monitor your life signs and oxygen use.”
The ground rumbles underneath, sending a green plume of mist to the sky.
“That’s my cue to get going.”I swing my legs over the edge and start down, the cord humming as it lowers me into the green gloom.Every instinct screams to climb back up, but I keep going, boots scraping against rock until my feet touch the ground.“I’m down.”
“Good,” Kael says through the comm.“Now get to the middle of the ship and use the outside ladder to reach the top.”
The skirmisher looms ahead, half-buried in rubble, parts of its surface fractured like shattered bone.I stumble toward it, holding my hands out to fan the mist away, keeping my focus on the wreckage.
The ground shudders.A crack splits the ravine wall, raining shards of stone.I throw up my arms as a boulder crashes where I stood seconds ago.
“Ellie!”Kael’s voice roars from above.Then he’s there sliding down the rope, his cybernetic arm sparking as he slams into the rubble.He grabs my shoulder and pulls me close, shielding me with his body as another slab of rock crashes behind us.“You are safe.I was afraid…” Pain or fear flashes in his dark eyes as he scours my face and body.
The moonquake subsides, leaving only a few pebbles to bounce their way against the sides of the ravine.
I push myself away from his chest, my heart beating like a marching band drum.“I didn’t think you could ever be scared.”
“Not usually, but the thought of losing you—” He immediately shuts his mouth and clears his throat, his lungs rapidly expanding and contracting.
“I had everything under control,” I rasp, angling for a light tone, though my knees are still shaking.
He grips my shoulders, forcing me to meet his obsidian stare.“No.You do not understand.”His voice breaks, raw and unguarded.“I cannot lose you.I willnotlose you.”
The words hang between us, heavier than the falling stones.For a heartbeat, the ravine, the wormhole, the poison—all of it—hinges on this moment.It’s him and me, clinging to each other in the wreckage of the universe.
6
Chapter 6
Kael’sadmissionlingersinthe charged silence, echoing louder than the fading rumble of falling stone.My throat tightens, but there’s no time to unpack what he said.“Help me,” I say, nodding toward the skirmisher.Near the top, by the hatch, several wires spill out like twisted veins.
Kael releases my shoulders slowly, unclenching his jaw, then stalks to the ship and climbs up the ladder.Rocks block the escape hatch.His cybernetic arm glows faint blue as he tosses stones to the ground and pulls open the door.The metal gives a faint squeal.
He hoists himself to the top of the vessel and stands, pointing at the ladder.“It is clear now.You are small enough you should be able to slip inside.”
I climb, my gloves scraping against the scorched plating.I wonder how long ago the pilot wrecked?It’s hard to judge due to the moon’s low oxygen levels, but the ship definitely looks ancient compared the Volderen skirmishers I’ve seen on Mars.
When I reach the dark opening, I drop inside.The ship’s small and the drop’s only a couple of feet.Weak emergency lights flicker, giving a quick view of the mangled interior.
A shadow looms from above.Kael puts his arm inside and extends a finger.“That panel.”
