11. Aurelia

ELEVEN

Remind me never to drink again, I thought to myself as I looked into my eyes the next morning. Luckily, I didn't have a hangover, and I was mostly just dehydrated.

But the things I'd said to Sylas—my Captain… I groaned. He was definitely going to ban me from the bridge again. Even if it was just for a week.

"I totally crossed the line."

He was my boss. My superior officer. I had no business flirting with him in the bar.

Even if he was the most handsome man I'd ever met. His perfectly chiseled jaw was covered in dark stubble, those deep, ocean blue eyes. That dark brown hair was longer on top than it was on the sides, and I wanted to run my fingers through it. Would it be soft?

Hishands were enormous, making the glass of amber liquid he held look tiny. I'd thought about them all night, and long into the morning. Wondering what they'd feel like on my skin, especially after he'd rested one over mine. Asking me not to go.

Damn horny thoughts. Now wasn't the time. I had a job to be doing, and it wasn't to pine after Sylas freaking Kellar.

I groaned. Maybe I was still drunk. I'd been drinking those violet cocktails all night, and as delicious as they tasted, it had probably been a bad idea. I needed something to soak it up. Pancakes? Surely, the mess hall's breakfast would make me feel like a person again.

Throwing on a gray crewneck sweatshirt—it had my last name in big letters on the back, and the UGSF's logo on the front—I headed to find food.

Maybe with a full stomach, I'd be able to face seeing him again.

That was a lie.I'd been lying to myself all day, and I'd known it.

Because Sylas Kellar in the light of day was just as gorgeous as he'd been last night, in the dim lighting of that bar. He'd joked with me. He hadn't quite smiled, but still. I knew I'd see it if I worked hard enough.

And damn, did I want to see it.

I'd held my breath all day on the bridge, looking back at him more than normal. Because I had so many thoughts running through my mind.

What kind of person was he, really?

Why was he alone last night? Did he not have anyone to spend time with? He was close with the other male officers, and he had his sister. And yet, he was perfectly content spending the entire evening sitting next to me.

I could still smell his cologne. I'd expected him to wear something spicy or musky, but he just smelled clean. Crisp, like the night sky, and yet… all man. Part of me wondered if I could get away with burying my nose in his shirt and taking a deep inhale.

Surely, he wouldn't think I was crazy if I did that, would he? No. He definitely would.

"Aurelia, hey." A voice knocked me out of my stupor. Astrid.

I shook away my thoughts. They were bordering on inappropriate, and I needed them to go away before they got any worse.

"Hi, Astrid." I grinned at her. "What's up?"

I'd decided to take a book to the lounge this evening and read. Better that than risk another bar run-in with Sylas Kellar.

A man who I absolutely should not still be thinking about.

"We were talking about grabbing dinner. If you wanted to come." She pointed at her data-pad. "I sent you a ping, but I didn't hear back."

"Oh." I pulled the slender device out of my back pocket. "I have it on silent. Sorry, I didn't even hear it." If I went to dinner with them, I could make it back and still have time before I needed to make my way to the bridge. Except… "I already ate," I said, offering her a frown. "I think I'll just stay here and read before I head to bed. I've been extra exhausted lately."

She nodded. "Of course! No worries. Space can do that to you," Astrid joked, wrapping a finger around a strand of her blue hair. "Make sure you stay hydrated, though. And come see me if that sluggishness turns into something more."

"Of course." She didn't need to know I'd been more tired than normal lately because I was barely sleeping. "Thank you, Astrid."

She gave me a nod before heading out, letting me sink back into my book.

Taking a deep breath,I looked into the hallway. It was quiet, and the motion-detected lights were currently off. Both were a good sign for me.

I'd spent the last week sneaking into the bridge each night, doing research and trying to come up with answers where I can. What I discovered was there was only a narrow window of time where no one else was on the bridge. When no one would question what I was doing.

I had to wait until the evening crew left and be gone before the morning crew could arrive.

Glancing at the timepiece on my wrist, I exhaled. Go time. I had a few good hours of time before I needed to get back to my quarters.

Yawning, I tightened my ponytail as I snuck through the empty hallway, down the lift to the bridge, and tapped my ID card on the scanner to let myself in.

My station was powered down, but all it took was a few taps and I was in.

I input the coordinates I'd been looking at. We were still far enough away that I had time, but If I waited too long, we'd overshoot it and I'd miss my chance entirely.

And I needed to find answers.

When my dad had disappeared all those years ago, they'd never found the ship, or his body. We'd buried an empty casket. Now, all I had was the coordinates of his last flight, the last estimate of where they'd lost contact with his vessel. Though I shouldn't even have had those—it was only thanks to Anderson Baliss that I did.

When I'd found out that the Paradise's route would go along that same star system… I'd leaped. It was the only thing I'd written on my placement request, as foolish as that was. I'd banked my entire future on this.

Thankfully, I'd been learning from Orion over the last few weeks, watching his console and asking him to explain little things to me. Enough that I could pick up on the finer intricacies of how it worked. How to locate the right spot on the map, where I could hopefully find a clue. I'd been working on it in secret, little bits at a time, but I couldn't do much during the day. The bridge never seemed to be empty, even when the ship was on auto-pilot, and people got a little suspicious if I was sitting at someone else's station.

My fingers flew over the screen, guiding us off course just slightly. I'd been making micro-corrections every night. If I got close enough, I could see what was there. We had star-maps of this system, but they were incomplete. Had dad found something? What could have caused his ship to disappear in friendly space?

I frowned, staring out the large windows. It was probably too late to find answers, but I had to try.

An electronic chime sounded as someone opened the doors to the bridge. I sucked in a breath. Not good.

"Shit." I muttered the words under my breath, sliding from Orion's chair back into mine, pressing a button to clear the screen.

The loud, deep voice I'd gotten to know too well over the last few weeks interrupted, sending a shiver down my spine. "What are you doing, Lieutenant?" Sylas murmured, his voice heavy with sleep.

"I didn't think anyone would be up." I turned to look at him—which was a mistake. He was devastating. The UGSF t-shirt clung to his frame, revealing his toned stomach, and he wore a pair of navy sweatpants.

"No one should be." He crossed his arms over his chest, still standing on the upper platform and staring at me. "So why are you?"

I turned to stare out at the sky. "I couldn't sleep." A half-truth. "Thought I'd come keep an eye on the ship." I patted the metal in front of me, like I was coaxing a pet.

"She does fly herself, you know."

A snort escaped me. "I'd hope so, since I'm the one who normally flies her."

He rolled his eyes, taking the steps down to me.

And then he was sitting next to me, sitting in Orion's chair, staring up at the darkness of space. I appreciated his stare wasn't on mine.

Sometimes, when he looked at me, it felt like those dark blue eyes were staring into my very soul. It was jarring, the feelings that awakened in me each time our eyes connected.

"Why are you awake?" I asked, unsure why I felt the need to pry.

"I have the bridge set up to ping me when anyone enters it between certain hours. If they're not on duty, it flags me."

"Oh." I sucked in a breath. "I didn't?—"

"You're not in trouble." Sylas leaned back in the chair, tapping his fingers on the surface in front of him. "But I couldn't help but wondering what my little pilot was up to."

My cheeks were warm as he raised an eyebrow, turning to me. "Nothing," I said, hoping the word didn't come out as defensive as it felt.

"Mm." He hummed in response, hitting the button on Orion's screen to power it up.

All of my earlier searches were still pulled up on the screen.

"I—" Fuck. "I promise I wasn't doing anything that would put the crew in danger. I'd never…" I swallowed roughly. "Please believe me."

"I trust you." His voice didn't waiver, and that confidence surprised me.

All I could do was blink. "You…" The past few weeks, he'd given me no sign if he was even pleased with my performance. "You do?"

His head dipped as he fiddled with the settings on the terminal, carrying on without even acknowledging the dumbfounded expression that must have been on my face. "What are you trying to find?"

"It's going to sound crazy," I whispered, and Sylas spun on the chair to face me.

"Try me."

"My dad, he…" I gnawed at my lower lip. "He disappeared when I was twelve. Thirteen years ago."

"I know."

I blinked, surprised. "You do?"

He nodded. "I know who you are. I knew it the moment you stepped onto my ship. The moment you said your name. Aurelia Callisto. Samuel Callisto's daughter. How could I not?" Sylas shook his head. "I was shocked, and I took that out on you."

"I didn't realize…" I trailed off, not even knowing where to start. "I didn't get this position because of him, you know. I worked my ass off in college and in flight school. There were so many sleepless nights. If anything, my teachers worked me harder, knowing whose daughter I was." Bringing my feet up onto the chair, I wrapped my arms around them, drawing myself in tight.

"I was an asshole."

"You…" I hadn't been expecting that. Somehow, it was more than an apology.

He dipped his head. "I deserved it when you called me out. I wasn't being fair to you by removing you from your post without even giving you a chance. I never apologized for it then. Let me now."

"Why are you being nice to me?" I raised an eyebrow.

His eyes drifted down to the terminal, looking at the screen. "Tell me what you're trying to do."

"My dad's best friend gave me the coordinates for where his ship pinged last, before the communication stopped. I've been tracking it, seeing if I could find any energy signatures or any indication of what might have been around there." I shook my head, showing him my research. "So far, I've come up empty. Maybe I really am just chasing a ghost."

"I'll help you."

My fingers stilled on the screen. "What?"

"I said?—"

"No, I heard you. I just…" All I could do was stare at him. "Why?"

He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why what?"

"Why would you want to help me? You don't even like me."

Sylas let out a groan. "Aurelia. I'm sorry. Let me do this to make it up to you."

I grumbled under my breath, but I didn't protest when he leaned over the screen, studying its contents. For one, it felt… nice, to share this with someone. To unload the weight of my secret. I'd been working on this by myself for far too long.

"Okay," I finally agreed, after staring at him for far too long. "Thank you."

He stood, rubbing at his short beard with his index finger and thumb. "Tomorrow night."

I looked up, surprised. "Yes?"

"Bring everything you have to my quarters. We'll go through all of it there. No more staying late at the bridge." He stared me down, expression serious. "Go get some sleep."

"Yes, Captain."

He headed towards the door to the bridge, turning back to look at me when he'd reached the top platform. "And Aurelia?"

My heart fluttered in my chest at the sound of my name. "Yes?"

"We'll find out what happened to him. I promise you that." Those ocean blue eyes connected with mine, and I couldn't help but believe him.

"Okay." I whispered the word, and then the door slid closed, taking Sylas Kellar—and all his confusing self—with it.