“No, what happened here today is your fault. I thought you were here to make things better?”
“I am,” I say.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” With that, Michael gives Brigid one more dirty look and leaves.
I groan. How can I prove anything when both sides are working against me? Have I betrayed the Nebula by being with Leigh? Is our love blinding me to the harsh realities my people face? Cooperation is the only path to a better future.
It must be.
“Hey,” Brigid says softly, touching my arm. “What happened to Dimitri isn’t your fault.”
“He fired him, Brigid.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I was supposed to fix this, but I made it worse.”
“I know. But it’ll all work out.”
I shake my head. Dimitri would rather die than apologize to Michael.
“You could use some cheering up,” Brigid says. She nudges me with her shoulder and smiles. “I’m meeting Ry and theErinye sisters for drinks at Furies. Do you want to join us? My treat. It’ll be fun! Like old times. Don’t let Michael Bersa ruin our reunion.”
“I can’t.” I sigh. “I still haven’t found Stellan.”
Brigid’s grin widens. It’s genuine, reminding me of when we first met, before feelings got involved, and things between us were still simple. My chest tightens. Sex ruins everything. “Come out with us, and I promise Stellan will still be there tomorrow.”
“Brigid . . .”
“One drink, and I will introduce you. He’s a friend; he’ll listen if I tell him about you. But Gianna stays home.”
I oversleptafter last night’s dream, delaying my trip to the lunchroom. Ravi is the last person I want to see, but he might be the only one who can explain what’s happening to me. But if I tell him about the dream, will he think I’m cracking? He could tell Alden, who would exploit any weakness. I have to be very careful how I describe what happened.
Thinking back to the nightmare—me, strapped down, moments from a horrifying procedure—sharpens my determination. It’s clear Janus wants me off the throne, and I believe she’s using Stellan to do it.
Ravi sits alone at the large table, absorbed in reading an article on his tablet. Despite the tempting aroma of coffee and fruit, the pit in my stomach doesn’t ease.
“Where’s Alden?” I ask as I take my usual seat, which happens to be across from Ravi. He doesn’t pause his reading, leaving me to tighten my grip on my fork while an attendant fills my glass with iced tea.
“He went out while you were sleeping.”
I sip my drink. “Out where?”
“Breakfast.”
My eyes narrow. If he’s making more messes to clean up, I need to know about them now. “With whom?”
Ravi sets the paper aside, his gaze finally meeting mine. He takes in my attempt to look presentable, but his eyes linger on the dark circles betraying my sleepless night. Makeup can only hide so much.
“Rough night?” His question is simple yet grating.
I stab my fork into the salad. “You could say that.”
The clink of metal against the plate is unnaturally loud in the quiet room. Ravi assesses me. His attention is sandpaper against my skin.
“What?” I challenge.
“Tell me about your dream.”
My spine collides with the back of my chair, the hardwood unyielding against my tense muscles. “H-how did you know?”
Ravi raises an eyebrow, then plants his hands on the table as if preparing to dissect my mind. “You have the look of someone touched by the unexplainable,” Ravi says, his voice level. “So, tell me about your dream. What did you see? Orwhodid you see?”
