“I don’t give a fuck about the shuttle. Where are you going?”
Her face was so solemn it broke his heart. “Away. I’m the Guild’s number one target now. I don’t want any of you hurt.” Her voice hitched. “I don’t want you hurt.”
“Dammit, Ria.” He slammed a fist against the door. “Don’t go. We can protect you.”
“Assassins strike before you even realize they’re even there.” She shook her head. “If one of them hurt you…I couldn’t live with that.”
“Let me help you.” He spread his palm out on the glass, wished he could touch her.
Something flashed over her face. “I wish things… Look, it’s best if I go. You need to think of your brothers and Eos.”
“Ria.” Helplessness choked him.
“Can you please take care of Lala? Help her out, wherever she wants to go.”
“You know I will. But stay, and we can help her together.”
Ria pressed her hand to the glass, matching her palm to his. “I wish things could have been different.”
“Ria.” He moved closer now. “You love me. You can’t leave.”
She blinked, her mouth opened but she couldn’t seem to find any words.
“You love me,” he continued, “and I love you.”
She closed her eyes for a second. When they opened, their beautiful green depths were filled with a glaze of tears. “I’ve never loved or been loved before.”
“Stay and I’ll show you how good it can be.”
“God, Zayn.” She leaned her forehead to the glass. “I want to. I want to so much.”
He leaned his own forehead against the door and cursed the glass that separated them.
“But most of all,” she continued, her voice raw, “I want you safe.” She lifted her head. “If I stay, they’ll come for you. You know it and I know it.”
“We’ll fight them.”
“The entire Guild? That’s not possible.”
“We’ll run. I’m good at fast. We’ll find somewhere to hide.”
She sighed and a tear slid down her cheek. “You can’t hide from assassins. They’ll hunt us to the edge of the galaxy. Do you really want to live like that? Never see your brothers? It’s just another type of prison, another loss of freedom.”
He knew she was right, but it didn’t make him feel any better. “Please don’t leave me.”
Her chest hitched. “Take care of yourself, Zayn. Be happy.”
She leaned closer and pressed her lips to the glass. He did the same, feeling like his insides were being torn out.
Then she pulled back and walked away.
Left with no options, Zayn took a few steps back. Moments later, the shuttle lifted a few inches off the floor with a quiet roar.
The shuttle bay doors retracted, the opening covered by a purple huma-field that kept the atmosphere inside.
His hands curled into fists. He forced himself to watch as the shuttle launched. Through the field, he saw the shuttle lights spear into the black of space.
Then she was gone.
