Between Burning Worlds (System Divine #2) - Jessica Brody Page 0,175

mother was too scared to come, convinced she would be better off on her own than hiding out with a group of rebels. But she must have eventually changed her mind and given those instructions to Hugo before she died. She must have come to realize that the Refuge was the safest place for me, despite it being the base for the Vangarde.” Alouette’s mouth quirked into a tiny smile as she touched the string of devotion beads around her neck. “And she was right.”

Marcellus winced, his jawline taut against the memory of his former governess and the horrible way she’d died. “So I guess, in a way, Mabelle saved us both.”

She glanced up at him, and when their eyes locked, Alouette felt something inexplicable pass between them. An understanding. A kinship. A connection that she knew would never be broken. No matter how many warships arrived to search for them. No matter what the future held.

“I … ,” she began to say, but she didn’t quite know how to finish. And it didn’t seem to matter anyway, because a moment later, Alouette heard a soft groaning sound coming from the ship’s internal speakers. Her gaze shot toward the nearest monitor on the wall. Gabriel was no longer sleeping soundly. He was now thrashing violently on the bed.

Alouette was on the move in an instant, sprinting to the infirmerie with Marcellus close behind her.

The sheets of Gabriel’s bed were a tangled mess, and he was clearly in pain. His face and arms were covered in sweat.

“Are the médicaments wearing off?” Cerise asked, appearing in the doorway.

Alouette shook her head. “They should be good for another few hours.” She reached over and felt his forehead. It was hot and clammy. Her mind whirred.

Infection? This fast?

“What’s wrong with him?” Cerise’s small, broken voice made her sound like a child.

Alouette sighed and looked up into Cerise’s eyes. They were rimmed with fear. “It’s the cluster bullet. All those tiny pieces of shrapnel create prime breeding grounds for infection.”

“Can’t you do something for him?” Marcellus asked.

“I can give him more médicaments, but it will only help for so long. He needs surgery.”

Cerise’s gaze bounced to the glowing blue moon outside the porthole window of the infirmerie and then back again, obviously coming to the same conclusion as Alouette.

They were running of time.

Gabriel thrashed again, his hand flying up and nearly smacking Cerise in the face. She let out a sad little laugh, “Well, I suppose I had that coming.”

“Marcellus. Help me.” Alouette held Gabriel’s right arm down and Marcellus rushed forward to grab his other arm. But instead of pinning it to the bed, he was just standing there, staring at the inside of Gabriel’s left wrist.

“What’s wrong?” Alouette glanced over to see that Gabriel’s Skin was alight. Marcellus pushed up the fabric of his sleeve, revealing the whole of the screen. And that’s when Alouette saw it. That’s when they all saw it.

Flashing in the center of Gabriel’s Skin was a curious orange rectangle that seemed to be gradually filling with color.

“What is that?” Alouette asked, although she had a gut-wrenching feeling she already knew.

Cerise tapped on the screen to link the Skin with the ship’s internal speakers. The implanted device connected just in time for them to hear the eerie robotic voice announce, “Operating system upgrade complete. Your Skin has been updated.”

- CHAPTER 49 - MARCELLUS

“NO,” MARCELLUS WHISPERED, STARING WIDE-EYED at Gabriel’s now darkened Skin. “No! It’s too soon.”

“Was that it?” Cerise asked, looking desperately from Marcellus to Gabriel’s arm then back to Marcellus. “Was that the update?”

Marcellus nodded dazedly. “I think it was.”

“But,” Alouette protested, “but I thought we had more time. Dr. Cromwell said he would send the TéléReversion program in a week. Why would he send it early?”

Marcellus had been asking himself that very same question. But strangely, it was the memory of his grandfather’s voice that supplied the answer.

“This is not over, Marcellus.”

That was the last thing the general had said to him, before he’d smashed the auditeur under the heel of his boot.

“Because he knows I was there,” Marcellus replied, feeling a shiver crackle down his spine. “He knows I saw the demonstration. He knows we escaped Albion and are trying to get back to Laterre. He can’t risk me interfering with his plans. He must have demanded Dr. Cromwell send the program before the final tests were complete.” He paused, exhaling a shaky breath. “I think we have to assume that the general now has his