Corvus shoves the door open with one shoulder and steps in at the same time.

“Hands up, now!”

Shit. He found someone. Someone who’s clearly not one of our siblings, if he’s threatening them. I hang back, heart pounding, unsure what to expect. How could someone have snuck on board the ship? I was distracted during the exchange with the Gaians. Could Leonis have sent someone? Did she plan to sabotage us from the start?

“W-wait, please. Where is Scorpia?”

My brain grinds to a halt at the sound of that voice. I know that voice. But there’s no way.

“Corvus, hold up.”

I push forward, grabbing his hand and jerking the knife’s point down. Standing in the supply closet, wide-eyed and wild-haired but still the same pretty face I remember, is—

“Shey? What the hell are you doing on my ship?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The Stowaway

Corvus

As soon as my sister explains who the stowaway is, I want to tie up the Gaian and demand that she talks. Instead, Scorpia insists on bringing her to the kitchen to get something to eat and drink.

We sit across from her while Shey scarfs down an inhuman amount of water and dried algae. Scorpia still hasn’t deigned to explain how or why she’s acquainted with the daughter of the Gaian president and what exactly the nature of their relationship is, but it’s not difficult to guess why she’s going easy on her.

Even after a couple of days spent hiding in the cargo bay, with unwashed hair and bags beneath her eyes and algae crumbs sticking to her lips, Shey is unmistakably beautiful. And as hard as Scorpia is trying to put on a threatening face, her gaze is softer than it should be and lingering in places where it doesn’t belong. I keep catching her staring at Shey when she thinks I’m not looking, and then shooting me guilty looks when she realizes I am.

After Shey tears through her third packet of algae, I snatch the rest away and level her with a glare.

“That’s enough.” My annoyance makes it very easy to layer threat into my tone. “Time to talk. First things first: How the hell did you get on our ship?”

Scorpia folds her arms across her chest and says nothing. Either she trusts me to take point on this, or she doesn’t trust herself enough to handle it. Works for me.