Chapter 14

“Here,” Mori said, handing Cadell a cup of water.

He took the cup with shaky hands and sipped it, but he didn’t seem even to see her standing there.

He was locked within his head.

She should have run, bolted while he was disoriented. She could have. Easily.

Gotten away from the legendary Butcher of Nova Wars. Because if he could do all the things he did to full powered Novians, what would he do to her?

Where could she go, anyway?

The Colony was run by Transdot. If she went to them for help, she’d be at the mercy of someone else, wondering if they would betray her to the Transdot officer like before.

And she couldn’t leave The Colony.

Not for three years.

A lot of things could happen to a being in three years.

No, she had to figure this out.

Perhaps if she could somehow turn his loyalties to her, then there had to be a way to save the woman in her vision. At least that vision could be sorted.

Cadell sat the cup on the table next to him, but he still didn’t seem quite in the moment yet.

She knew exactly what he’d seen because she’d seen it too. When she’d rolled him over, it seemed to deepen him into the nightmare he had been reliving. Why she’d seen it, she wasn’t sure.

Except she should have anticipated it.

Fate worked in strange ways.

And even though she never expected to see him again, it should not have surprised her. Here was the last place she would have considered stumbling into him. And this wasn’t the first time, either.

But where else would she be surrounded by humans with no opportunity to escape?

With everything that happened, she had almost forgotten about bumping into him in the common area. There had been a spark of something, then, but she didn’t recognize it. It grabbed her, and she wanted to know, at the time, what it was, but he’d disappeared into the crowd.

He’d felt it too, for he’d stared at her as well as they parted.

This though, it was more than just the recognition.

Sharing memories? That was unexpected.

While he was still in shock, she picked up her sticks and twisted them back into her hair. She wasn’t sure what she should do. Part of her wanted to run, to get away from him as fast as she could. And that side was quite logical, and it would be a good tactical move.

However, she couldn’t bring herself to leave. After the shared vision, he would likely have questions.

And he could be her only ally in this.

But were they questions she wanted to answer?

As if he’d read her mind—and perhaps he had—he met her gaze, his eyes bright.

“What are you?” he asked, his stare pinning her where she stood.

“A Novian. You know this.” She put her hands on her hips.

“Wings.” He waved his hand.

Her shoulders slumped. “They’re gone.”

“Why?”

She sighed. “I made a choice.”

It only took a moment for the remnants of the soldier’s expression to change, and understanding passed over his face.

“Was I that choice?”

She opened her mouth to answer when there was a chime.

Like nothing had happened, he was on his feet, and he took two big steps, crossing to her. His expression hardened.

“Go over there. Pretend to be tied up.” He pointed to the couch she’d been on before.

“What?”

He leaned in, his voice low and lethal. “Do it. She’ll kill you right here.”

“Why do you care? Won’t that make things easier?”

He put his hand on her arm. And like a slap, that connection came back. Suddenly they were in each other’s minds again.

And she was bombarded with everything that was spinning in his head. All his questions, all his demons, and the hairline trigger all of it was armed with, ready to burst at any given moment. He held himself back with so much restraint, and it would only take a tiny trigger to send him over the edge.

And she felt all those things at once. Like she suddenly lived a warrior's life in a blink.

All the terror and desperation locked deep inside every man and woman still on the battlefield. Even after the battle was over.

She stumbled and shoved him away. “How did you do that to me?”

“I didn’t. You did.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but the door chime went off again.

“Don’t make me use my override, Cadell!” the voice said from outside.

The smell of agitation and frustration leaked through the door from the person outside. Two smells that never led to anything good coming.

Made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

She met Cadell’s gaze.

“Later,” he said and gestured to the couch.

She nodded and took a seat, her hands behind her back, and she hunched over, pretending to be beaten.

She could pretend.

But it never meant that she was.