The male strides off, grumbling under his breath, and Treto picks up his pace. “We’re almost there,” he whispers against my ear.
Thank goodness, because I feel like my anxiety could send my heart bursting through my chest at any moment. Then there’s the fact the charade I’m putting on is starting to feel less and less like a charade.
With our hurried steps, my hand slides back down his chest while the hand behind his back grabs hold of his shirt. We’re all but running when we burst out of a set of double doors and into some kind of hangar.
Treto takes off sprinting with Skylar, and I can barely keep up behind him. We don’t stop until we get to a small spaceship. It’s maybe the size of a small bus, not that I would care if it was the size of a Corvette, as long as it gets us off this goddamned station.
Treto waves us through the door before jumping in behind us and pulling it shut. “Buckle in and grab on to something,” he orders, dropping into one of two seats at the front of the ship, where he immediately starts flipping switches and pushing buttons.
I’m still looking around for anything resembling a seat when the small craft starts to vibrate and the engines come roaring to life. The shuddering increases until Skylar and I are practically knocked off our feet. Dropping to our hands and knees, we scoot to the far wall, grabbing on to anything we can reach that’s bolted down.
The engines are screaming when the shuttle jumps into the air and turns sharply before bolting forward. Skylar screams when our bodies lift into the air, only to slam back into the ground a moment later.
“Kurva!” Treto barks. “Hold on tight. They saw us.”
“Well you’re not exactly being inconspicuous,” I grit through my teeth as I wrap my arm around the metal bar when we lurch to the side.
The ship banks sharply and then accelerates so quickly, we’re thrown into zero gravity for a moment, sending my stomach shooting into my throat and wringing another strangled scream from Skylar. Lights are flickering by so fast, it gives off a strobe effect before we’re suddenly plunged into darkness.
For a moment I’m afraid to breathe. Did we justdie?
There is another flicker, and then soft yellow light engulfs the cabin.
“Did we make it?” Skylar asks quietly.
The silence that follows is tense, and I don’t know how to answer.
“I think so,” Treto’s deep voice rumbles from the front of the craft. There is something about the sultry rasp that has my stomach quivering, and not from the rollercoaster ride we just took.
“Are you okay?” I ask Skylar.
She nods, sitting up and leaning her back to the wall. Closing her eyes, she lets out a relieved sigh. “I’m just gonna sit right here a minute.”
Pushing myself up on shaky legs, I give her bent knee a pat and then make my way to the front of the ship, sliding into the empty seat beside Treto. “Are you okay?”.
His eyes stay locked straight ahead as he jerks his chin in a nod.
My head falls back against the seat that is molding itself to my body. “That was some fancy flying.”
If I hadn’t been watching him, I might have missed the way the corner of his lip quirked. Like he found what I said amusing but doesn’t want to admit it.
“My brother, Sone, he is the pilot.” His shoulders lift and fall in a shrug. “I can manage.”
“Is he the one you’re waiting for?” I ask. “The reinforcements?”
Treto nods in that jerky way of his. “Yes. I need to comm him again, and the rest of my crew, as soon as we are a safe distance from Lux.” He looks over his shoulder, quickly checking Skylar, then faces me. “You are alright? And the young?”
“We’re both fine. Thanks to you.”
Treto nods and seems to sag a bit, with relief? Just then, the control panel lights up like Christmas.
“Kurva!”His arm shoots out, pinning my upper body to the seat. “Grab on to something!”
Before I have a chance for his words to do more than register, an explosion sends the shuttle careening violently to the right.
