Page 115 of Shadows of Stardust

Guilt climbs the back of my throat. “Let’s find a way to get you off world, then. I’m out of the military now. I was… well, it doesn’t matter. I’m out. That’s all that matters.”

She shakes her head. “I can’t go back to Severin. I’d be a dead woman walking.”

“So we’ll go somewhere else,” I say, not ready to concede. “We’ll find a new place, somewhere to start over. Arrik can even come, if he wants.”

“This is his home, Ros.”

“But it’s not yours,” I point out.

“Neither was Severin.”

“I know that!” Somewhere in the back of my mind, I already know this is an argument I’m not going to win, but it’s not enough to make me stop. “That’s the point. We can choose, Savvie. We can start over anywhere we want. We can figure this out together.”

When I end my little speech and look at her again, I know I’ve lost.

I know that look in her eyes, that resolve.

“I have… other reasons for staying here.”

Savvie drops a hand to her abdomen. With the way she’s sitting and the billowing fabric of her dress settling over her, it outlines the small, round bump there.

“Savvie,” I breathe, unconsciously moving my hand to cover hers.

“Arrik will protect both of us,” Savvie whispers. “Me, and our baby. We’ll be okay here.”

I hear what she doesn’t say.

We’ll be okay withoutyou.

My sister. My little niece or nephew. They’ll be safe here.

I’m not the protector who needs to take on the whole wide universe for her anymore.

In fact, I might be hurting her by being here right now. I might be the one putting her in danger.

“Okay,” I whisper. “Alright.”

Again, we both fall silent.

What’s there to say?

Nothing that will change what either of us has been through.

Nothing that will change the future.

Nothing that will change any of it.

“I should go,” I say.

“Go where?”

Does it matter?I want to ask, but make myself swallow the words back.

“Back to the Mate Match beach. Before any of the producers realize this season’s star couple has gone AWOL.”

Savvie’s eyes are saucers, and her mouth opens and closes a couple of times before she finds her words. “How… what did you… you’re competing on Mate Match?”

“Yeah.” I huff a humorless laugh. “You just had to pick the most locked-down planet in the sector to hide out on, so I had to get creative to find you.”

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