read or play or watch, as the minutes ticked away and the ship’s standard time crossed midnight. EJ frowned at the wall and braided her hair out of the way so she could sleep comfortably. Where was Nokx? Had he decided to sleep elsewhere?
EJ used the tablet and the panel on the wall to search for any signs of where Nokx was. She found nothing but a general sense of where bodies slept elsewhere. She gave up and rolled into the sheets, and hoped that when she woke up it would be because Nokx was there again and wanted to mess around.
Chapter 27
EJ
The light blinded her. EJ jerked into the pillows, disoriented, and tried to cover her face. “What the—”
Someone else moved in the room and she squinted, reaching out. “Nokx?”
But he didn’t speak. He definitely would have spoken. Her heart slammed against her ribs and EJ rolled. It wasn’t Nokx, which meant danger. She needed to get up, to fight. They’d found her. Someone had found her and meant to...
Iron bands locked around her chest and pinned her arms, and someone hauled her out of the bed and kept her dangling a foot off the floor. EJ threw her head back to injure whoever held her. She heard a grunt, but the pressure against her sides didn’t ease.
Her eyes watered but finally adjusted to the blazing lights. She kicked out with her legs, flailing, but whoever held her squeezed until her breath wheezed in her chest and black blotches floated in her vision.
“Calm down,” a semi-familiar voice said. EJ’s heart sank. Faros. The pirate captain stood inside Nokx’s quarters, his back against the door, and studied her as she struggled to catch up to what the hell was going on. Faros checked something on his wrist. “We made contact with the Hollbrd. You’ll be returned to them at once.”
EJ shook her head. “No. Please. Where’s Nokx?”
“He’s busy elsewhere,” Faros said. His expression betrayed nothing of his thoughts. At least he didn’t gloat. “It has nothing to do with him. This isn’t personal, Earther.”
“It’s damn well personal to me!” she snapped. A slow burn of anger ignited in her chest. Nokx was busy somewhere else? He couldn’t be bothered to face her before they threw her out? EJ clenched her jaw so her teeth wouldn’t chatter as fear followed the rage. She couldn’t go back to the Hollbrd. Her life was over if that happened. Even though she’d tried to prepare herself for Nokx not being serious, she hadn’t really imagined... betrayal. Outright, coldhearted betrayal. Cowardice.
Whichever Xaravian held her gave her a shake but didn’t speak. She’d see him eventually and memorize whoever it was, so she could include him in her vengeance. She might not have anything else to keep her motivated and warm when she was inevitably dropped on a hostile planet with years of backbreaking labor ahead of her. She knew how long vengeance could keep someone going.
Faros didn’t react even in the face of her anger. “We will sedate you if necessary to make an orderly transfer. My preference would be to avoid something like that, since it’s unclear whether the Hollbrd is equipped to make sure you reawaken.”
“What do you care?” EJ hardened her heart as tears threatened. Was it better to make the Xaravians kill her? She’d never truly given up before, but as she stared at the reality of returning to the Hollbrd... Could she really face exile and death on a hostile planet? It wasn’t like she’d be able to leave once the gen ship left everyone on the planet they had to terra-form. No ships would arrive for resupply for at least a generation. It was just a delayed death sentence.
The room swam around her; if she’d been standing on her own, she would have fainted. It grew harder to breathe, even though EJ steeled herself for the worst-case scenario.
“We’re beginning docking with the gen ship,” Faros said, tone even and lacking in any bluster. It would have been easier to take if he’d taunted her, bragged about turning her in, poured salt in the wound. She knew how to react to threats. But the cold disregard, his complete lack of interest in her fate...
EJ shook her head. “Does Violet know what you’re doing?”
His eyes narrowed but otherwise he didn’t react. “Are you going to cooperate or do we need to take other steps?”
She couldn’t risk being knocked unconscious. She needed her wits about her if she was going to escape