She neededto see him, to ask him what his intentions were. Did he care about her at all? Or only the windfall represented by the station?
Did she even want to know?
She couldn’t sneak away to find him, not with her sister just arrived. And then Dejo, with the rest of them listening in, had a long comm from the alien accountant—a drakling with deep purple shadows and a hint of scales in his dark skin—whoended with a stern recommendation that they not sign anything without his review. “The Earther envoy represents that closed world, with its focus on global ignorance, not the females’ wellbeing. The galactic council’s agent seeks only to minimize the council’s exposure. Open Worlds For All will try to exploit the females for the consortium’s agenda. And Azthronos of course will want to keep itall.”
Trixie made a soft sound of dismay, and Rayna felt even worse. She should warn them that Raz had already made his play.
“Now I remember why I hate chess,” Lishelle muttered. “Not only is it black and white as if there’s nothing in the middle, but that whole ‘pawns with no power’ thing sucks.”
“But the piece with the most options is female,” Dejo said.
Rayna glanced at Vaughn, eyebrowraised.
Her sister shrugged. “Some of those interstellar jumps are long and boring. Just like chess.”
“We don’t have any queens,” Trixie said. “But maybe we have a duchess.” She pointed at Rayna.
Who sat back with her hand over the ring when her sister peered at her.
“It’s a fake engagement,” Rayna said weakly.
“What?” Vaughn narrowed her eyes.
So Rayna had to explain to her little sishow, mere days of consciousness after being abducted by an alien, she’d ended up with another alien’s engagement ring. It sounded even more damning in the retelling.
“You may have made a bargain with a devil,” Dejo said. “The dukes of the Thorkonos Galaxy have held their territory by might and right for millennia. For all their decorous manners, they are fierce fighters and don’t concede graciously.”
“God of Oaths,” Rayna murmured. “Not a devil.” And if he held territory like he’d held her, she doubted anyone ever tried to fight him off.
“I might be just a pawn,” Trixie said. “But I want the someday duchess on my side.” She held up a glass of what Rayna realized was ghost-mead. And it didn’t look watered down. “I hereby grant control of my one-fifth space station to Rayna Quaye. Negotiatefor me in good faith, my lady.” She hiccupped.
Rayna boggled at her. “You can’t do this while you’re drunk.”
“Not drunk,” the younger woman said with great dignity. “But not scared anymore either.”
“I’ve had tea all night,” Lishelle said. “And I want you to negotiate for me too. Carmen and Anne aren’t even awake. Who’s going to speak for them?” She gave a sharp nod. “It’s gotta be you, girl.”
She didn’t want this. She’d never wanted this, not for all the riches in space. Or one-fifth the riches in a space station.
But the next morning, she found herself dressed in another Thorkon day gown, marching through the estate with Vaughn and Dejo flanking her in response to a summons from the dowager regarding the dispensation of Blackworm Station.
Conscious of the lingering ball guests whisperingin the halls, Rayna held her head high. Trixie had picked out the tallest slippers while Lishelle had done her hair in “power braids”, and the head-to-foot styling by her friends gave her a few extra inches. She’d need all the confidence she could muster.
Because she knew Raz would be at the meeting. What would he say? Would he try to convince her he loved her, that she should keep the stationin orbit around the singularity while he found a way to monetize the station or the story of the Black Hole Brides? Or maybe he’d just have a legal or military excuse. Maybe he wouldn’t say another word to her now that she didn’t need him.
Her heart felt shrunken in her chest, rattling uncontrollably.
Shedidn’tneed him, not anymore. With the riches the space station represented, she wouldn’tneed anybody ever again. She was wealthy, independent, with free run of the whole universe. It was like all her childhood dreams come true times infinity.
So why did that thought make her want to cry?
