when she tried to swallow. The pain reminded her of the price she’d paid for such a simple mistake. Pain that would surely come again, as soon as Talis and Cruum had the slightest urge to beat her. Tears slipped down her cheeks as the full realization of what she’d walked away from hit her. “Why did I do that? He could have helped me. This all could have been over. The whippings, the…everything, but—but—I was too much of a fucking coward.” The words came out on a screech that felt torn from her soul. She wanted to rage and hit something, but her body didn’t have the energy to follow through after the beating she’d just suffered through.
Folding in on herself, Nova cried. Rocking back and forth, she tried to breathe past the shame that filled her. Her freedom had been within her grasp, and she had let it slip away. She’d forgotten to follow the one rule that could have saved her life then and there.
Rule #7. Don’t let an opportunity pass you by.
Following that rule had been the entire reason why she’d managed to slip away in the first place, so it really stung when she realized it was what could have saved her ass from getting re-snatched. It was a rookie mistake and one that she hated to admit she’d made. It was not only seriously cringeworthy, it could also have blown all her chances of ever escaping this fucking place. If she’d thought she’d been under the focus of their watchful eye before, it was going to be even worse now. There was no way they’d even give her a slightest bit of a chance to make a break for it again.
“Maybe we can find the Phaeton,” Halla suggested, patting her back, which only managed to make her feel worse about the whole thing.
Nova may have somehow managed to stumble across him once, but she didn’t know how in the world to do it again. The first time had been pure accident, and she couldn’t even remember where that was in the market. She’d tried to keep her head down as much as possible the entire time she was escaping and had no idea what part they’d been in when they’d collided. Even if she knew where he was, she was clueless on how to initiate contact. There were more dangers than just Cruum and Talis out there, including other aliens much worse. It would be like looking for a needle in the haystack, while hoping the haystack didn’t see you picking through the pile.
Kalla nodded. “Yes, we can find the Phaeton. They are the ones that you were destined to join, were they not. They have to help.”
“Yes, but—” Nova sniffed, wiping her eyes with the hem of her dirty top. The grubby item had seen much better days, but, for now, it was all she had. “For all we know, they’re the ones that sold me to Cruum.” Even as the words popped out of her mouth, they were filled with doubt. She didn’t remember much from her kidnapping, but the bits and pieces she did recall all centered around her liaison. From the beginning, the woman had always given her the heebie-jeebies, but Nova hadn’t listened to her instincts and was now paying the price.
“No,” the twins crooned together, shaking their heads.
“We overheard master’s quarrel with the marshal when you were delivered. The trade was to be kept secret for fear the Phaeton’s would find out and remove the marshal.” Halla’s tail flicked behind her as she moved to a tray with some food on it in the corner next to their water bowl. “Come. We saved some of our sustenance to help you heal.”
Nova snagged a piece of bread, forcing herself to take a bite, despite its taste and texture. It was not pleasant in any way, shape, or form, but the thick, dense cracker was packed with vitamins and protein her body needed badly. It was hard, but she was able to ignore the sour taste and the crunch of bread beetles if it meant she’d live to see another day. It was something she’d learned was a necessity within the first few days of the food depravation she’d endured. She needed to eat if she wanted to have the energy to escape.
“If we can trust the Phaeton I saw in the market today—and that’s a big if,” she clarified as she chewed, trying not to let her hopes rise