Rune glanced at me and Cage. Cage looked like he wanted to say something, whether to her or me I wasn’t sure. I locked eyes with him and silently willed him to speak. To explain. To say something to restore the feeling on Sanctuary when he’d taken me in his arms, that split second when I’d been completely safe and protected.

But he only bit his lip and smiled, and Rune and I returned to the console. She glanced at me and tilted her head. “Okay. Here we go.” Squaring her shoulders, she plunged her arms into the circuitry.

The entire room lurched, driving Rune and me forward. Her chin smashed against the panel, but she didn’t open her eyes, didn’t even squeak in pain as blood trickled from the corner of her lips. I threw my hands up to brace myself, narrowly avoiding a similar injury.

The ship heaved violently, information spasming against my fingers in protest. This ship was obviously not designed to land. I didn’t know much about the aliens. I’d gathered that they did have some sort of homeworld, but the way this thing protested, it had never breached atmosphere before.

Once more the ship tipped and heaved, like it was trying to expel us into space. Rune’s face slammed into the console again. With her arms sunk into the electronics, she couldn’t protect herself. I wasn’t sure she even felt her injuries. Throwing caution to the wind, I jumped toward her. At the same moment the ship jerked and twisted, pitching us to a forty-five-degree angle. I caught the edge of the console to keep from plummeting backward and dragged myself toward Rune, my fingers curling and my booted feet scrambling for purchase.

“Kenzie, hang on!” Cage shouted. “I’m coming over there!”

“No! Stay where you are! Another person flying around the room won’t help!”

I reached Rune just as the ship gave a massive shudder. Wrapping my arms around her, I tried to simultaneously protect her face from any more impacts and lock us in place, preventing the ship from bucking us across the room.

“Kenzie!” Cage roared. I turned toward him, but the ship pitched, and it took all my energy to hold Rune. “What’s happening?”

“She’s okay!” I called. “Are you?”

“Hanging on! Are we going to make it?”

I shook my head, knowing he couldn’t see me. I didn’t have the time or focus to interpret the alien language right now. Rune was too far immersed in the system to answer questions, and we had no windows to see outside. I had exactly as much information as Cage.

The ship’s spin increased in speed, giving me the sense of being on a sickening VR carnival ride. I tightened my grip on Rune as the centrifugal force threatened to tear us apart. At least she wasn’t in danger of hitting her face again, but the combined force of the ship’s spiral and my hold might dislocate her shoulders. I managed to shift my grip to her middle. I wasn’t even protecting her anymore, merely holding on for dear life, because at this point, if I let go, I would smash headfirst into a wall.