Page 104 of The First Spark
“No… Love you…”
A choked sob rumbled in her throat, and she clapped a hand to her mouth. It’d be like losing Julian. Like losing Ariah. The other half of herself, the second piece of her soul. Zane knew that pain, he’d felt it, and she’d taunted him about it. She’d ripped open his wounds in the cruelest way possible.
Swallowing the knot in her throat, Kalie crossed the room, brushed his sweaty hair away from his forehead, and pressed her lips to his temple.
“I’m here. I promise, I won’t leave.”
Zane stopped kicking at the blankets and relaxed into the mattress. He was still twitchy, so she whispered to him, soothing nothings and sweet promises—that she was here, they were safe, it was all just a bad dream. Her other hand curled around his, as if holding him tighter would prevent him from slipping away.
Slowly, he calmed. In sleep, without his near-permanent scowl or vexing smirk, he seemed gentle. The tears shining on his cheeks made him look sad and lonely.
Still clutching his hand, Kalie slid down to the side of the makeshift cot, resting her head against the edge.
She didn’t let go.
Rustlingblankets roused her from her dreams.
“Kalie.” Zane sounded annoyed. “Why are you holding my hand?”
Groaning, Kalie rubbed her sleep-crusted eyelids and twisted toface him. His lips curved down. It was as if her mind was clouded with fog. Where was she? And why was she here?
Her gaze shot to her hand.Theirhands.
Kalie’s cheeks warmed, and she glanced at the cockpit. As Zane marked the motion, a smirk curved at his lips.
It would be so easy to take that humorous glint out of his red-rimmed eyes, to stop him from laughing at her. The truth was on the tip of her tongue.
But she faltered. Dried tear tracks shone on his cheeks.
“I got scared.”
Zane huffed, pulled his hand away, and shuffled towards the bathroom. “So much for shifts. We’re lucky autopilot didn’t kill us. Next time, if you want to nod off, wake me first.”
She hummed in agreement.
When he opened the door a few minutes later, his face was shiny from the water he must’ve splashed on it. The engine’s steady hum filled the air. As he stared at the floor, his lips moved, a barely perceptiblethank you. Then he hid in the cockpit.
They didn’t speak of it again.
Etov, Sector 4
Decemmensis-30, 817 cycles A.F.C.
A crackof thunder boomed through Etov’s gray sky as Zane eased the ship through a dense layer of clouds. Kalie burrowed into his bulky sweatshirt, scanning the fiery horizon. It had been over a cycle since she’d last visited the Empire’s capital planet, and Etov had changed vastly. Domed skycities floated in the clouds, supported by the most durable consteel that credits could buy. Kalie grimaced. They were Mother’s idea, no doubt. Though Dali’s riches surpassed the wealth of the eight planets in the Etovian Empire, Mother loved to flaunt Etov’s prosperity.
A blinding burst of magma lit the planet’s dark horizon, flowing down a range of rumbling volcanoes.
Kalie dug her broken nails into her palms. A few weeks ago, with Ariah at her side, she would’ve scoffed if someone suggested she would ever turn to Etov for help.
Her message this morning had gone unanswered.
Zane punched through the last layer of dark clouds, and a roiling ocean greeted them. “Are you sure this is safe?”
Kalie hugged her arms to her chest. “It has to be.”
This was the last place she had to turn, and there was no guarantee she wouldn’t be turned away. Or worse.
Thunder roared, and lightning flashed in the looming darkness. She pursed her lips. Of all the things she hated about Etov, the storms were high on the list.
