Chapter 8

Ryker

From down the corridor, Ryker watched as Talia argued with Jules Strickland. He was too far away to make out their words, but Jules was one of Talia's closest friends and he couldn't believe the way they were coming at one another like vipers.

He wondered what had changed.

Talia walked away and after she disappeared down the corridor, Jules stood from her bench and went in the opposite direction. She was coming toward Ryker. He took a couple of steps backward, then turned and kept a steady pace, keeping as far in front of her as he could. He would've liked to pull Jules aside and explain what was going on, lean on her for help getting Talia out of this mess, but what he had just witnessed told him to stay away. It wasn't safe for Jules to recognize him.

There were a couple of times when he could've sworn that Talia recognized him, though. Her soul remembered his, he was sure of it. Ryker couldn't stop the spread of his smile.

Jules' footsteps were still trailing behind him, so he stepped aside and stopped at one of the many benches that lined the Heaven's Pearl's halls. As Jules passed, he turned his head and covered his mouth with his hand, disguised as a man lost in thought.

Perhaps it'd be best if won Talia over as Thorne Montclair.

If Ryker waited until the end of the night to reveal himself, he could do so in the privacy of Talia's shuttle. Once they departed from the masquerade, they'd be in the clear. He'd prefer it if she left in his vessel, where he had full control over her safety, but it was built to accommodate only one person. Jules' presence worried him, but once they were enroute, she shouldn't be an issue.

Why was Jules on the Heaven's Pearl? It was obviously not to support Talia.

"Sitting all alone, Montclair?" The tone carried a hint of sick amusement.

Ryker looked up and found Chancellor Abernath staring down on him.

He was an imposing figure when looming over someone like that. He was tall and broad, though lithe compared to Ryker's bulkier build. The shadows cast from behind him crossed over Ryker's face, making it difficult for him to see.

Ryker stood, but Abernath held his ground.

"Funny question coming from a man who's walking all alone."

Abernath narrowed his eyes from behind his golden mask's slits. "Have you reconsidered my offer, Ambassador?"

"No."

"I could throw in some military?—"

"No."

After a beat of heated silence, Abernath turned and walked away.

Ryker left in the other direction, toward where he first saw Talia and Jules arguing. He had to find Talia. They needed time together, and time was one thing this night didn't have enough of. He stopped when he recognized the large wooden door to the ladies' parlor. It was against the rules to disturb them, and Ryker getting thrown out wasn't an option, but maybe one of the women inside would know where she went. One of them might come out soon.

As if on cue, Talia exited the room again and they were both shocked at coming face-to-face so abruptly. Lighthearted laughter came from the doorway behind her and someone on the other side slid it closed again.

Whether fate or coincidence, he'd take it.

"Would you like to walk with me, Chancellor Steele?" He didn't know what else to say or ask. "I can tell you about X-Terra Lyra."

She nodded and he led her in one direction, but she paused to study the ship's map on the wall and turned.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd rather explore in this direction."

Ryker obliged. A tension hung in the air between them as they walked in silence. He was choking on his choices. Wait it out until the end of the night or tell her now?

All of a sudden, he didn't know how to talk to his own wife. She'd have questions and he wasn't ready to relive the past few years to answer them. Ryker didn't want to tell her about the men he'd lost, what wrapping their mangled bodies for burial was like, or how the ones who'd survived almost lost their minds to starvation that first winter. He didn't want to talk about how he relived the crash over and over again in feverish delirium as Doc tried to keep him alive. He didn't want to show her his changed face or the deep angry scar that ran across it, a fierce reminder of where the shrapnel had struck.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, then shoved his hands into his pockets.

She broke their silence for him. "Have you spent much time with any of the other women?"

Ryker shook his head.

"Well, you should. Everyone here should mingle as much as possible tonight."

"Is that what she told you?"

Talia's brows furrowed.

"The woman. I saw you arguing with her earlier."

Realization crossed her face, then it scrunched with annoyance.

"I was walking by when I saw you, I didn't mean to?—"

"It's fine. To answer your question, sort of. Jules is my vice-chancellor. Our colony has needs and she wants to make sure we take all options into account."

"Respectfully, Chancellor, I disagree. There simply isn't enough time to explore every possible option tonight. If two people can meet each other's needs and seem to get along, I think that they should get to know each other as best as they can with what time there is. Afterall, you can't know what's inside of a forest if you only ever stand at the edge of each one you come across."

"Well, that's a poetic way of putting it," she replied blandly.

"Shouldn't love be poetic?"

"You might be the only person here for love, Ambassador, and I wish I could indulge you, but I might be catching those cold feet you spoke about earlier. The night's halfway over and I feel more conflicted than when I first got here."

Ryker let his hand sway in between them. The tips of his fingers brushed over hers. She clutched her hand to her chest, then stopped and faced him.

"There are people here looking for love, but I fear there are even more with other motivations. Power, self-preservation, and lineage amongst other things, and I'm one of them. I don't want to be, but I am. Please don't let me waste your time."

"Are you a power-hungry tigress, Chancellor?" He joked lightheartedly and circled her, letting his eyes scan every inch of her. "Your pretty curls and your dress that shines like starlight. Are they just camouflage hiding some cutthroat goblin within? Will you turn at midnight?"

"No," she spoke softly. The curl of a smile accented the corners of her pinched lips and she averted her eyes. A blush crept from beneath Talia's veil down to her collarbones. "You're teasing me."

"You were too somber there for a moment, I didn't like it."

"Oh?" Her eyebrows raised and Ryker swore he saw a sparkle in her eyes.

This was it. This was the time.

"Talia, I—" Another couple stumbled around the corner with their arms wrapped around each other's waists, drunk and laughing. "Can we go somewhere more private?"

She blinked hard and stared up at the ceiling as she considered his proposal, then before she could respond, they were interrupted again.

"Chancellor Steele, I've made some changes to the marriage contract. We need to go over them now, before the ballroom opens again," Jules rushed to Talia's side then paused to study Ryker with suspicion.

He turned sideways, angling his face away from her. Even with the mask's protection, he felt exposed.

"I have to take care of this," Talia told him as she took Jule's arm and escorted her away.