“Styx decides, and you are his number one guy. I’m guessing he trusts you the most since you’re his brother.”

“Do you want to know how many people I have killed?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.” Shocked at how true that statement was, I leaned my head back against the wall behind me as nausea grabbed hold of my stomach with iron claws. Traveling in an escape pod sucked. I spoke through gritted teeth, hoping that if I didn’t open my mouth, no vomit could come out of it. “Unless you want to tell me. Do you want me to know?”

“It is my burden to carry.”

“You’re afraid if I know the number, I won’t love you anymore?”

Silence. He stared at me like I’d grown a second head.

Oh, shit. I’d just told him I loved him. Well, damn it, I did. Stupid? Probably. I’d always been one to give my heart away too fast and pay the consequences. I’d had countless people tell me to stop it. To wait. To not get too attached too quickly. You might as well tell my heart to stop beating. I was who I was. All I could do was hope this time I wouldn’t get my heart broken.

The pod rattled and shuddered like a giant infant was shaking his favorite rattle. I closed my eyes and hoped like hell the pod wouldn’t fall apart before we landed wherever we were going.

A loud roar filled the small space while I counted to thirty-two and then…hissing. Like gases coming out of a valve. Nothing moved. No rattling or roaring or shuddering.

“Did we land?” I opened my eyes to find Cormac still staring at me with an odd expression on his face.

“You are too young for me.”

I rolled my eyes as I worked to unbuckle my harness. “Not this again. Tell me the number.”

“I am several decades older than you.”

“Don’t care. The number, Cormac. It’s not going to change the way I feel about you, so just tell me.”

“You said you loved me.”

“I do.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Shut the hell up and tell me the number.”

10

Abby

“One hundred and seventy-three outsiders. Three traitors inside the legion.”

“One-seven-six. Got it.” I released the last buckle and stepped away from the wall. “Are we on that planet? Ma-tear-ee? Whatever you said?” I might have paid more attention if I hadn’t been so worried about dying when he told me.

“Latiri 4. Yes.” Cormac unbuckled as well and turned to look at his control panel. “We are just outside an abandoned structure. We should be able to reach it easily. Perhaps a ten-minute walk.”

“My legs are short. Better make that fifteen. Does this place have air we can breathe?”