CHAPTER 1
I’m going home.
When I suggested going back to Earth for the holidays, I mostly meant it as a joke. I didn’t expect Nereus to ask me why the holidays were important and I definitely didn’t think he would insist on taking us on a Christmas vacation. Since we met, he’s mostly been interested in the whole succession crisis on Homeworld--and rightfully so, given that there’s a whole alien kingdom at stake. Thus, it feels a little ridiculous that we would go home for a perfunctory dinner with my father and stepmother when it’s a matter of life or death for millions of Merati…
But that’s Nereus. I know him well enough after roughly six months on the Naiad, but sometimes his motivations still puzzle me. And this is one of those times, particularly because he doesn’t seem all that excited about visiting Earth. Quite the opposite: he obviously isn’t excited, putting on a brave face for me and Kye.
And why would any of us want to leave, when we have everything we need on the Naiad?
But I try to put on a brave face for them too. Nereus is obviously freaked out, and it can’t be easy to watch me go home when he’s been exiled for years. And Kye...it’s even worse for Kye, given that he hasn’t seen his family in a decade. They think he’s dead.
Maybe my dad thinks I’m dead too.
I wonder if he cares--if he’s noticed at all that his disappointing daughter has vanished.
Because I think he knows I’ve run away. Just not on a spaceship.
That’s what I’m thinking about as I make my way to the helm of the shuttle, leaving Nereus behind in bed. The three of us have spent most of our trip in our quarters, falling in and out of the sheets and each other while the shuttle rockets toward Earth on autopilot. I haven’t slept well, but I can’t tell if it’s the anxiety of my impending reunion with my father, or being separated from Taln and Ryker, who are staying behind on the Naiad to keep the Order of the Hunt off our scent.
Whatever the case, I’m a light sleeper. So I hear it when Kye gets out of bed and heads toward the helm. He’s already interfaced with the ship, his palm on the control panel, revealing the sparking circuits within his arm. His hair is tousled, his chest still bare, while a loose pair of green pants are slung low on his hips, revealing the V of his abs and the trail of dark hair that I yearn to follow to its ultimate destination.
He already knows I’m here--he always does, feeling the ship like he does--so I don’t bother making my presence known as I make my way toward him and sit in the co-pilot’s seat. He glances over at me with his heterochromic gaze, his lips curving in a smile.
“Hey, princess,” he says, mischief settling over his features.
“Watch it,” I reply as I try to stop myself from smiling. “I thought we weren’t supposed to arrive for another few hours. Come back to bed?”
“Just figured I’d take a look at the star charts while you two slept,” he says. “Map out some escape routes in case things go pear-shaped.”
I cock my head at the expression, reaching out to rest my hand on his knee. The limb is hard as steel underneath, but I know he can feel it, and he’s still warm. “I know this is hard,” I say quietly. “You don’t have to go through it alone. Come back to bed.”
“Ah…” he says with a mocking tone. “I see you’ve still got a commanding side, your highness.”
He pulls my hand up to kiss my knuckles with a roguish smile, but I won’t let him distract me. He always does this; whenever I want to have a slightly uncomfortable conversation, he teases me, using those gorgeous eyes and that easy charm to disarm me.
Sometimes, I let him. Not this time.
I grab his cybernetic hand to pull it away from the control panel, interlacing our fingers as I inch my face closer to his. I take a second to study his face, to drink in his looks. My cybernetic man. He’s so gorgeous. As soon as our eyes lock, my heart flips in my chest. I hate seeing him like this.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He tries to flash me another smile, but falters. As soon as he decides to be vulnerable, I can see the uneasiness clouding his eyes. Even though we’ve been through worse, I can see the fear play across his handsome face; it feels like a new and different kind of danger than we’ve faced before, and it angers me that I can’t seem to help him.
“Talk to me, Kye,” I whisper.
He turns so that he’s facing me head-on, his elbows resting on his knees and his head tilted so his hair falls across his eyes. His mouth opens like he’s decided on what to say, then closes again before he finally mumbles out a response. “I’m fine. I’m good,” he says, his gaze flitting up to meet mine. He forces himself to smile. “I’m...excited. It’s been a while since I’ve come back to Earth.”
“A while?” I prod.
“Okay,” he says, taking a deep breath. “More like...never? Not like this.” He gestures at his metal parts, the plates over his chest and the elegant Merati metalwork consuming his body. “I couldn’t.”
It makes sense; even though I haven’t changed much at all, it felt like Earth was so far away when we were on the Naiad. It never occurred to me that I could just come home whenever I wanted.
I’m sure that, for Kye, it’s even harder.
“I’m sure your family won’t care what you look like,” I say, putting my hand on his chest. “This doesn’t change who you are.”
He sits up straight. “Well, this is complicated,” he says. “I know you think my mom would want to see me, but what if she doesn’t? What if she forgot about me? Or...what if she’s angry that I left her and my little brother?”
“Your mom hasn’t forgotten about you, Kye,” I say as I squeeze his hand. “You’re pretty unforgettable.”
“Yeah, okay,” he says, a bitter note in his voice I hate hearing from him. He clears his throat as he straightens his back, shaking his head and looking away from me. “But what about my brother? He was just a kid when I left. And so much has happened…”
I lick my lips, which are suddenly dry. Kye has every reason to be afraid to go home. He looks almost like himself, but not quite. Just enough to scare the people he loves.
It must be terrifying.
I bring his hand to my face and brush my lips softly against his knuckles. “We don’t have to go and see them,” I say. “But if you want to, I’ll be there for you. Just say the word and we can stay or go.”
“I know,” he says with a smile. “And Fi?”
“Yeah?” I say.
“Same goes for you,” he says. “You say the word, and we’re out of there.”
I loop my arms around his neck and slide into his lap, feeling him already hard against me. “Eager to steal me away from my castle again?” I ask, grinning.
He presses his fingertips into the flesh of my ass cheeks, dragging me even closer. “You have no idea.”