I felt his relief. His satisfaction that I was accepted, even grudgingly.
“Quarters?” I suggested. “You need rest. And I need to test how these new systems perform under... different conditions.”
Despite everything—the exhaustion, the wounds, the tension—he smiled against my mouth.
“Insatiable.”
“Scientific curiosity.” I traced my fingers over the faint lines that were all that was left of his wounds, already planning which ones needed kissing first. “Among other things.”
ZAREK
Our new quarters were larger than I’d expected. Rylos had given us an actual suite—bedroom, sitting area, private bathroom. Either acceptance or acknowledgment that Bronwen was permanent.
“This whole ship smells like you,” Bronwen said, turning slowly in the main room. “Your scent is embedded in the metal itself.”
I crossed to the desk, pulling up the data I’d gathered during our three-hour flight back. While she’d slept off the worst of the transformation exhaustion, I’d used the courier’s systems to dig into her past.
“I have something for you,” I said.
She moved closer, curiosity sharp in her expression.
I pulled up star charts on the room’s display, highlighting a system in the outer rim.
“Kaven Thrace,” I said. “The Lyrikan who owned you. Three systems’ worth of agricultural production. Private compound on Lyros-4.”
Her breathing changed. “You researched him.”
“It seemed like you’d prefer this to flowers.”
Her grin was sharp. “You’ve been planning my revenge.”
“Our revenge. He hurt you. That makes him my enemy.”
She kissed me, soft and thorough. When we pulled apart, she studied the data with focused intensity.
“When do we leave?” she asked.
“Tomorrow. Brevan needs time to arrange our identities.”
“Tomorrow,” she repeated, satisfaction in her voice. “Good.”
“I love you.” The words came easier each time.
“I know.” She smiled—sharp and deadly. “After we kill him, after we come back—we continue with the Regalia?”
“Yes. The third piece should be decoded by then.”
She nodded, then looked back at the star charts. “I want him to know it’s me. That the girl he tortured came back as something he never imagined.”
“He will.”
“And I want him to know about you. That I found someone who sees my violence as beauty.”
“Whatever you want,” I said, meaning it absolutely.
She studied Thrace’s compound layout one more time, then shut down the display.
“Tomorrow,” she said again, like a promise.
