Vesper sucked in a breath. It wasn’t an impending attack, it was beautiful. Outside their window, in the deep shadows of the valley, was a herd of Moon Bison. Their giant horns glowed, and Vesper was positive that if they’d been in the sun, she’d have been blinded by the sheen. Their shaggy, solid white fur was visibleclearly, even from their distance. They were just grazing peacefully, not a care in the world.
Vesper inched closer to the window. She refused to blink, in case they vanished before she’d had her fill of them. She had never been big into the fauna of their region, but she’d always wanted to visit these mountains to see the Moon Bison. They were one of the few natural creatures on their planet whose magic wasn’t tied to the planet itself, but to one of its moons.
They looked so small from far away. She wanted to get closer. Wanted them to drift nearer until they towered over the trolley and eclipsed the sun with their height.
Then, one of them popped out of existence with a flourish of white sparks, and the rest followed in a matter of seconds. Vesper sagged with disappointment, the excitement from seeing them gone in a heartbeat. That was replaced quickly with the heat underneath her, which she hadn’t registered while she’d been so distracted.
Vesper’s hands had gripped the windowsill on either side of Bellamy. Their bodies were pressed close together. Bellamy watched her cautiously. She looked unwilling to move, to breathe. Like she was scared if Vesper realized how close they were, she’d leave too.
Well, she wasn’t wrong. Was Bellamy seriously using this to make another play at winning their bet? That fucking bet. Vesper really regretted it. Not because she wanted to fuck Bellamy, but because it was making her worse than she normally was. She was more desperate, more handsy, more bold. That was the only reason Vesper could think of that would’ve made Bellamy dare to kiss her.
“What?” Vesper snapped, instantly pulling away.
She’d caught a look in Bellamy’s eye that she couldn’t read, and she didn’t like it one bit. Normally she’d relish holding her power over Bellamy. The tension in her body, the anticipation, the knowledge that Vesper could do anything she wanted, andBellamy wouldn’t stop her. But it didn’t feel like Vesper had all the power here now. Not anymore.
“Nothing.” Bellamy released a breath and looked away. Her body slumped back down on the seat, her gaze shifting to the floor.
That didn’t bother Vesper. The weirdness of it, the sense of rejection. It just meant that Vesper had won. She’d broken Bellamy’s hope of winning the bet by cheating. That was it. Nothing more than that.
Her wrist vibrated with a message from her Embunuh contact.
“The track is on fire,” Vesper read aloud. It didn’t sit right with her—the track on fire? That couldn’t be normal, but their employers weren’t worried. For all Vesper knew, it could happen all the time out here. “We’re backtracking. There’s a switch a few hours back. It’ll take us through the mountain instead.”
She groaned when she kept reading. They’d be there in the morning. Not tonight. Their contact would meet them at the hotel when they arrived.
“Weird,” was all Bellamy had to say, her voice quiet.
“Yeah,” Vesper agreed. She looked back out the window to the still-empty valley beside them.
The trolley jolted, then they started moving back the way they’d come. Their first assignment in Soveba and it’s already getting fucked up. Vesper didn’t feel good about this. A gnawing in her gut warned her that something bad was coming. Pair that with how Bellamy had been behaving, and Vesper could only hope this assignment didn’t get out of control.
“Play a game with me,” Bellamy demanded. Vesper just stood in front of her, staring blankly at the message along her arm, lost in thought.
She shook out her bracelet, dissipating the message and turned to Bellamy. “Why would I do that?” Vesper scoffed, but Bel was already shuffling the deck, already prepared to deal out like she’d just assumed Vesper would agree.
“I’m bored,” Bellamy pouted.
Vesper rolled her eyes. “I don’t care.” She stalked back over to her side of the trolley and sat back down, fully intent on reading her book.
“Asshole,” Bellamy muttered before she remembered she was trying to sweet talk Vesper into doing something and fixed her attitude. She cleared her throat, and in a much lighter voice continued, “We can make it interesting. Winner gets something from the loser?”
“Sounds a bit like gambling to me,” Vesper mumbled, her focus solely on the book.
“It’s not,” Bellamy argued. “It’s a fun incentive for you to play.”
“No, it’s really not.”
Bellamy stood up and sauntered over to Vesper, who braced herself for an assault. Instead, Bellamy straddled her and leaned her forearms on Vesper’s chest. Vesper tried not to think about what happened after they’d been like this last time. She should stop this. Nothing good would come of it. Should shove Bellamy off her lap, snap at her, and make her go back to her side.
Vesper did none of these.
“You’re telling me,” Bellamy purred sweetly, her voice low, her eyes on Vesper’s mouth, “there’s nothing you want from me? What if winner getsanythingthey want.”
Vesper swallowed and licked her lips. Then, a really good idea came to mind. Bellamy’s entire demeanor changed when she saw the slight smile that graced Vesper’s face. She thought she’d won.
“The bed,” Vesper whispered.
Bellamy blanched. She leaned back—giving Vesper the space she so desperately needed—her face scrunched in confusion. “The bed?”
