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Back Seven Devils
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1.
  4. 2.
  5. 3.
  6. 4.
  7. 5.
  8. 6.
  9. 7.
  10. 8.
  11. 9.
  12. 10.
  13. 11.
  14. 12.
  15. 13.
  16. 14.
  17. 15.
  18. 16.
  19. 17.
  20. 18.
  21. 19.
  22. 20.
  23. 21.
  24. 22.
  25. 23.
  26. 24.
  27. 25.
  28. 26.
  29. 27.
  30. 28.
  31. 29.
  32. 30.
  33. 31.
  34. 32.
  35. 33.
  36. 34.
  37. 35.
  38. 36.
  39. 37.
  40. 38.
  41. 39.
  42. 40.
  43. 41.
  44. 42.
  45. 43.
  46. 44.
  47. 45.
  48. 46.
  49. 47.
  50. 48.
  51. 49.
  52. 50.
  53. 51.
  54. 52.
  55. 53.
  56. 54.
  57. 55.
  58. 56.
  59. 57.
  60. EPILOGUE
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHORS

A pause. <I’m on the ship.>

10.

CLO

Present day

Clo strapped herself into the bullet craft and loaded the launch sequences. She had about fifteen minutes to get back to the ship—if she was lucky—then another eight to dock and sprint her ass to the command center. Zelus would be long gone by then, gunning it into hyperdrive and slipping through space thousands of miles away. She’d have to track it with the tracer Eris took with her.

I should just leave her there.

Clo winced at the thought. Sometimes, she’d had to work with marshbrains. But one thing they believed in was loyalty, and when she was on a mission, Clo had never abandoned someone who needed her, even if that person went against everything she believed in. And she’d promised Sher and Kyla not to kill Eris. Letting her die was basically the same thing.

“Damn,” she muttered as the bullet ship blasted up from the swampy ground. Clo took one last glance over her shoulder at the slums that had forged her, then kept her eyes on the stars. “I cannae believe I’m doing this.”

She was actually going to have to save that spoiled princess.

<Coming to get you,> she said to Eris through her Pathos as the bullet ship docked on Asteria. It should still be within range, but if the ship jumped, they’d be cut off.

<Really?> The princess sounded skeptical.

<Aye. Don’t make me regret it.> Clo’s stomach roiled with guilt, not wanting to admit how close she’d come to doing just that. <If the Pathos cuts out, just hang tight.>

As soon as the airlock closed, Clo jumped out of the craft. Her skin broke out in a sheen of sweat, but she swallowed down the nausea and raced to the bridge.

She switched on the cloaking tech and hit the launch sequence. The tracer on Zelus indicated it was at least three jumps away—doable, but she was going to have to push this baby to its limits. Asteria shot off, then slipped into hyperdrive with beautiful ease. When she finished the third jump, Zelus was back within range.

<Clo?> Eris’s thought sounded almost like a sigh, as if she had been calling Clo’s name and had come close to giving up.

<Yep, I’m here. Can’t shake me that easy. Where on the ship are you?>

One jump down. Two to go.

<Locked down in the storage bay. All the doors are sealed and I’m not sure if it’s an extra security measure or— Shit.>

<What?>

Two jumps. The ship shuddered around her, the metal groaning. Clo’s hands tightened around the throttle.

<What is it? Eris?>

No response. She followed the chaser, blipping through hyperdrive again. Too many jumps left Clo nauseated. Only so many times you can dissolve and put your molecules back together before it took a toll.