She planned to take a passenger skiff to the ark ship Selburnia, where she was confident Shiloh was now living, and lay low wherever she was.
In time, the furor over her disappearance would end.
Perhaps theŠarwould find another woman he didn’t detest as much to marry.
There was also no way she’d allow herself to remain the fool trapped in his world, with no love, family, or peace of mind.
For a moment, she slowed, breathing in the untamed beauty surrounding her.
The shadows lengthened as twilight descended, casting darkness over the landscape. She refused to be paralyzed by fear.
With a set to her jaw, she ventured into the unknown, and all she could think of was that each moment away from Mak was liberation, a breaking of chains that had bound them to a marriage neither she nor her husband wanted.
Chapter 13
MAK
Mak sat at his office on the executive level of theSombra, reviewing legal paperwork for a new supply chain contract with a hydrogen mining concern in the Wildlight.
A ping sounded on his comm tab. ‘Naam,’ he rumbled, swiping to take the call.
His head Sauvage strongman, Koda, appeared onscreen, his dark, sculpted face grim.
‘It’s theŠarim, she’s gone,’ Koda blurted.
Mak let out a grating growl. ‘Thefokk? How?’
‘She found a way out of the lodge through the gardens at the back, we believe.’
Mak’s blood ran cold.
‘Find her,’ he commanded Koda, knifing up in his chair. ‘Bring her back to me by whatever means necessary.’
‘Naam, Šar.’
When Koda was about to sign off, Mak lifted a hand. ‘Wait. Better still, I’ll come with you. What’s the tracker telling us?’
Koda held up a comm tablet. ‘She’s heading towards the port deck. She’s moving fast, so we think she’s in a flyer.’
Mak’s lip curled, partly in satisfaction that his investment in her wedding ring was paying off.
It was made of nanite-infused diamonds and silver.
As she soon found out after their nuptials, each attempt to remove it tightened the band on her finger without her knowing the unique twist required to release it.
The same nanobots also emitted a distinct energy locator signal.
‘Send me the location,’ Mak rasped.
Koda swiped, and on Mak’s end, he stared at the pulsing dot on the map displaying her whereabouts.
A surge of fury coursed through Mak at the thought of her making her escape, slipping past his guards, and vanishing into the night.
She was more resourceful than he had given her credit for, and the thought infuriated him.
Beneath the anger, a sliver of emotion stirred within him.
Was it a hint of respect for her audacity?
