I closed my eyes, hearing my own thoughts so clearly echoed at me. Everything I struggled with—Mom’s death; my parents’ betrayal; Dad working with Omnistellar, the corporation I’d trusted above all, to lure in terrifying monsters out of my nightmares—none of it had a place right now.

I looked up to see Imani nodding, a hard edge in her eyes. “You’re right,” she said quietly. And then: “I’m sorry I said that. About your family.”

Jasper sank into his seat, once more the picture of a man at rest. “Don’t worry about it. We’re all on edge.”

“You can say that again,” Reed muttered, shifting from foot to foot as if expecting an alien to fall from the sky. Not that we hadn’t seen that before. I glanced at the ceiling nervously. Something else to worry about.

“For many reasons,” agreed Alexei, staring at his feet. “Not least because someone we thought was dead is alive.” He raised his head and pinned me with his cold gray gaze.

I winced, but before I could answer, Rune’s scream echoed through the room.

THIRTY-ONE

CAGE AND I STUMBLED OVER each other in our rush to reach her side. My heart jackhammered into my throat as images assaulted my mind: Rune bleeding, everyone torn to shreds on the floor, bounty hunters holding them at gunpoint . . .

But she was alone, on her knees, clutching her head. Cage dropped and caught her face in his hands, turning it, apparently searching for damage. “Are you hurt?” he demanded in Mandarin, the words stumbling over themselves. “What happened?”

Rune shook her head, although tears streaked her face. “I found . . .” She choked on the words, her entire body trembling. I exchanged mystified glances with Imani. I’d seen Rune panic before, but not like this. What had she found?

“She was looking for the source of the hull breach,” Reed pointed out quietly. “Rune? Did you find it?”

She nodded. “I . . .” She dragged a hand across her face, then pushed Cage away. “You . . . well, you better see for yourself.” Shrugging free of her brother, she returned to the control panel. “Go back to the other room.” An eerie flatness settled into her tone, as if she was afraid to let even a hint of emotion break through. “Please. It’s too crowded in here, too . . .” Her voice almost broke on the last word, and we scrambled to retreat. I knew exactly what she meant, though. Too claustrophobic. Too reminiscent of the alien ship, of a cell, of hiding from aliens on Sanctuary.

Back in the main room, a dark foreboding settled over us. “Where’s Mia?” I asked Alexei, my voice hushed, as if frightened to disturb the tension.

“Here.” Her response floated from nearby, disembodied and ridiculously creepy.

For some reason, it made every muscle in my body tense. “Do you have to do that?”