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Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. EPILOGUE
  51. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  52. About the Author
  53. What’s next onyour reading list?

Go, Rayan thought. Let go. Let go now. I’ll go, too, but not with you. Not with you.

Piero didn’t give up, trying to force his way up Rayan’s leg. But space moved against him. There was no fighting its inexorable pull. No sound, no sound, but in his mind he heard the crack, the shivery snap as the exposed bone and strained sinews of his elbow gave, and Piero flew away, spinning and spinning as the stars claimed another soul.

It was time to be charitable. To forgive.

Whatever you were, whoever you became, for a little while you were beautiful. We were beautiful together. Forget Mother. Forget her. Remember yourself.

Rayan couldn’t see. He didn’t know what Rosalyn looked like as he nudged his fingers free of her boot. He didn’t know if she looked relieved or sad, or if she reached for him. He had already said goodbye, made preparations. His work was in the lab, his memories and his mementos, too. Somehow it didn’t scare him so much, because at least he had chosen to let go.

It didn’t feel at all like he expected. It didn’t feel like anything at all.

32

“No! Hang on! Shit, shit. HEAR ME!”

Her ears rang in her helmet. She had been screaming at Rayan for what felt like an eternity. In reality, it had been thirty, maybe forty-five seconds. Her arms were about to give out, but even so, if she reached—if she just reached—maybe she could save him. She had to try to save him, because in those last seconds, when Piero’s arm snapped and he was ripped out of the Brigantine, Rayan had glanced her way and his eyes were his own.

Rayan had spun free of the bay doors when she saw them slowly start to close. She gasped, losing strength in one arm, reduced to clinging to the railing with one precarious hand. The force was too much, and the doors were closing too slowly. By the time they met and the bay pressurized, she would be long gone.

Oh God, oh God, not like this.

Only one more minute. Thirty seconds. Anything. But it had been hard enough holding on for that long, especially with the weight of two men dragging behind her, pulling as inescapably as space. Pain shot through her elbow, a sprain maybe, or just her muscles failing on her at the last possible second. She screamed, yanked, going boots over helmet as she careened toward the sliver of stars between the doors. Worse than floating forever in a void, she was going to be extruded into paste.