Page 36 of Hunted By the Wraiths
Vashil clawed at Maris’s hand. Couldn’t break the grip.
“But you made one mistake,” Maris said. “You didn’t kill me when you had the chance.”
She threw Vashil to the ground. Stood over her.
I watched. Said nothing. This was Maris’s fight. Maris’s betrayal. Maris’s justice.
The Smuggler Queen looked down at her former lieutenant. Cold. Ruthless. Absolutely in control.
“Run,” Maris said. “Take whatever ship you can steal. Get off this station. Because if I ever see you again, I’ll kill you.”
Vashil scrambled to her feet. Ran.
Maris watched her go. The fury in the bond slowly faded, replaced by exhaustion.
“Why let her live?” I asked.
“Because killing her would be a mercy.” Maris turned to face me. “This way, she has to live with the fact that she failed. That she sold me out for nothing. That she’ll spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, wondering when I’ll change my mind.”
My mate’s version of revenge. Cold. Deliberate. Perfect.
I loved her so much it hurt.
“Ship,” I said.
“Right.”
We moved toward the ship. The boarding ramp was down. Maris climbed up. I followed, my vision swimming.
The interior was clean. Functional. The cockpit had two seats. Pilot and co-pilot.
“Sit,” Maris said. “Handle weapons and shields.”
I sat. The co-pilot station lit up under my hands. Weapons systems. Shield controls. Comms.
I could do this. Probably.
Maris dropped into the pilot seat, her hands a blur as the ship hummed to life. Engines spinning up. Systems coming online.
“Strap in,” she ordered, and I was happy to comply.
MARIS
The hangar doors weren’t even fully open when I punched the throttle. TheGhostscreamed out of the cavern, scraping her belly on the closing rock plates. Behind us, Vashil’s voice crackled over the comm channels, ordering every ship in the sector to pursue.
“All units, target is fleeing in a modified Kestrel-class. Fifty thousand credits to whoever brings her down.”
Fifty thousand. I’d been worth more yesterday. Amazing how fast empires crumbled.
Three ships peeled off from The Quarry’s main docking ring immediately. Two more launched from the security platforms. My brain ran the numbers: five pursuers minimum, more coming. TheGhostwas fast, but she wasn’t armored for this kind of fight.
I glanced at the co-pilot’s seat. He’d strapped himself in before passing out, which was the only reason he hadn’t slumped forward into the console. Blood seeped through the new bio-sealer on his side, the vibro-blade wound tearing itself open again with every jolt. His scales had gone that awful dull color that meant his body was shutting down. The data chips weresecure in theGhost’s shielded locker, but Thoryn was dying in the seat next to me.
Bio-monitor readout: heart rate dropping, blood pressure critical, infection markers spiking.
The proximity alert screamed. I yanked the stick hard left, rolling the ship as plasma fire streaked past the viewport. The G-forces pressed me into the seat, but Thoryn’s head just lolled against the headrest.
“Stay with me, you idiot,” I muttered, checking the rear sensors. Four ships now, closing fast. “You don’t get to die in my ship. The cleaning fee alone would kill me.”
