Page 59 of Sixth
The ship jolted as it broke atmosphere, thunder rolling in its wake. Apex steadied her automatically, one hand at her waist. He held her there, gaze locked on her mouth. The space between them vanished. For a heartbeat, she thought he would kissher.
Then he stepped back. “You should see to your sister.”
Her pulse stumbled. “You’re impossible.”
He inclined his head slightly, that ghost of humor back in his eyes. “You said so yourself.”
She turned toward the med bay, forcing herself to breathe. Behind her, his eyes stayed on her, the unspoken tension simmering like the storm that still raged below.
In the med bay, Hannah stirred, eyes fluttering open. Emmy dropped to her knees beside the bed, tears rising unbidden. “Hey, you’re safe. We’re on the ship.”
Hannah’s voice was a rasp. “Locus?”
He moved closer immediately, dropping to one knee beside her. “I am here,” he said quietly, his hand brushing her hair back from her face. Relief softened his features in a way Emmy had never seen. “You are safe.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “You saved me.”
“Always,” he said simply, the single word carrying more emotion than anything else he could havesaid.
Only after her trembling eased did she look past him, searching. “Apex?”
Emmy nodded. “He’s here. He got us out.”
Hannah’s gaze darted past her, settling on the doorway where Apex stood. The light from the corridor framed him, tall and silent. “Then we’re really free.”
“For now,” he said.
Hannah frowned. “For now?”
“Voss lives. In another form. He will come.”
Emmy glanced at him sharply. “And when he does?”
Apex met her gaze. “We end him.”
Lume perched on a nearby console, wings folded, her voice soft. “The sky trembles still. The world below will not survive his machines.”
“Then we make sure they cannot spread,” Apex said. “He has lost his base. It will not be rebuilt.”
Across the med bay, Winn stirred on a nearby cot, her breathing deepening with every moment. Jo’Nay hovered close, checking the readings on the console besideher.
The color slowly returned to Winn’s cheeks, her pulse strong and steady again. When Jo’Nay looked up, he met Emmy’s gaze and nodded once—asilent reassurance that both he and Winn would recover. Then his hand covered the curve of her belly and the child held snug and safe within.
Apex crossed to the viewport, the storm shrinking behind them into a smear of silver cloud. With a sigh of relief at everyone’s recovery, Emmy joined him, drawn to the view—and to him. The glow from the planet reflected in his eyes, painting him in light and shadow.
She spoke quietly. “When you went back for him... Ithought you were gone.”
Apex turned his head slightly. “You would have done the same.”
“Maybe. But I’m not built like you.”
“You are stronger than you believe.”
She laughed softly. “You really think flattery works after nearly getting yourself killed?”
He looked at her fully then, expression unreadable but not cold. “It is not flattery if it is true.”
The words landed deep, making her heart ache. She stepped closer, the air between them charged again. Lightning outside flashed across the hull, and the reflection lit his face, fierce and beautiful and terrible.
