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“What was that?” Rane asked.

“Just making sense of a twisted mind puzzle.” A puzzle that involved Doctor Kingsbury, one she was going to answer for.

Relief ran through Nell as she saw the shuttle draw nearer. It slowed and turned sideways so she had access to the airlock.

“Oxygen levels at nine percent.”

“Shut up, suit. I’m trying not to breathe.” Nell waited until the ship was hovering and the external door to the airlock open before she propelled herself into the shuttle.

She let out a shaky sigh of relief as the door slid shut behind her.

Nell’s fingers shook as she tried to remove her helmet.

The internal door to the airlock opened. Rane ran through. He detached her helmet and wrapped her in his arms.

For a second, Nell hesitated as the old horrors returned to haunt her. Screw that. He was here for her. Rane had saved her. She threw her arms around him and held on like she never wanted to let go.

They stayed like that for a moment, Nell breathing rapidly as Rane pressed her to him, his hands tangled in her hair.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he said as he pulled back.

“I think I lost myself.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Thanks for saving me.”

“Any time.” He stroked her hair away from her face, his worried gaze running over her.

Nell took another breath, aware of the intensity of his gaze. “Did you tell Prodigy what’s going on?”

“They’re looking into it. Let’s get you out of this suit.”

Nell didn’t speak as Rane detached the gloves, boots, and arms of the suit. He pulled off the pants and detached the hard torso, leaving her in a liquid cooling under layer onesie.

He peeled her out of that and pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

Nell ducked her head. “I don’t know where to start.”

He pushed her hair off her forehead. “What’s going on?”

Nell shook her head. Her thoughts were still a conflicting muddle. Rane had warned her about Doctor Kingsbury. He’d sensed there was something off with her the first time Nell had mentioned her. It seemed he was dead right.

“I messed up.”

Rane caught hold of her hand. “There’s a spare jumpsuit in the locker. Get dressed and we can talk.”

Nell nodded and followed Rane. He pulled out a large gray jumpsuit, which she climbed into, and followed him into the cockpit.

Rane was already seated and keying in directions back to the station.

She sat next to him on the edge of the seat. “I got a message from Doctor Kingsbury. She had important news about you.”

Rane looked over at her. “About me?”

“She wouldn’t tell me what it was. I headed to Starland to speak to her.” Nell sucked in a breath. “The next thing I remember is being back on Prodigy, walking in space with an access code in my head and two explosive devices clipped to my belt.”

Rane hissed out an angry breath. “Doctor Kingsbury made you do this?”

“Whoever she is, she’s not a therapist. We have to go to Starland and find out what she’s up to.”

Rane reached over and cupped her face in his hand. “You shouldn’t be around her. She’s dangerous. If she’s able to influence you in that way, she could try again.”