No. She fought against a rush of embarrassment.
After a moment, he said, Ill fly us through.
Had she misheard? Hell, no.
I understand if youre scared She was, a little. Still, the thought of anybody but her at the Arcadia s controls made her palms damp and her stomach hurt. She had fought too much to surrender her ship to anyone.
but I refuse to let the slightest delay keep me from securing Lieutenant Jurs safety, or the safety of her ship.
The man whod spoken with fierce, sexual hunger moments earlier was gone. A hard-edged soldier had taken his place, one who refused any capitulation. She discovered she found them both equally alluring.
Beyond this, she saw that he worried for the safety of his squadron. The intensity of his gaze showed concern that went beyond mere duty. Lieutenant Jur was Kells friend, and that meant something to him. Had anyone ever cared for her with such ferocity? Being in the presence of that kind of loyalty humbled her, made her yearn for something she had never known.
We take on the storm, she finally said. But Im piloting the ship.
He looked like he wanted to argue. But spines werent reserved just for 8th Wing flyboys. Mara had one, too, and she wouldnt back down. Arcadia was hers. Only hers. He saw that she would not yield, then grudgingly acquiesced, settling into his seat with only a slight grumble.
If he really wanted to, he could have lifted her bodily from the captains seat. Found some way of restraining her while he took the controls and flew them through the storm. But he didnt. True, shed demonstrated her skill by getting them through Ildens Lash. But, dangerous as the Lash was, ships breached it often. No one was attempting to breach the energy storm.
Kell, however, trusted her. His trust moved her, more deeply than his blatant desire. She had never allowed any of her supposed scavenger friends close enough to develop trust. Yet in the short time she had known Kell, hed seen something within her, something he believed in.
Suddenly, navigating the storm seemed a little less dauntingknowing she was in control, but having him beside her.
Its time, he said.
Time to make this energy storm our slave.
A corner of his mouth curved up, and she wanted to trace the shape with the tips of her fingers or, better yet, her tongue. Instead, she rubbed her slightly damp palms on her skirt. She didnt miss how his eyes followed her movement, his gaze lingering on the expanse of bare thigh between her boots and her skirt. The heat in his eyes matched the fury of the storm.
Taking the controls, Mara guided the ship forward. As they neared the outer edge of the storm,
the comm line shrilled.
Skiren, what the hell are you doing? She recognized the
voice as belonging to a fellow scavenger.
Heading toward Ryge, Vachan.
Have you lost your damn mind?
A long time ago.
The ship shuddered as it breached the first energy clouds. Kell kept himself remarkably still.
If you make it through in one piece, youll be a legend, Vachan said.
If I dont, have a drink in my honor. And charge it to Sekou. That bastard never pays for his own drinks.
Vachan rasped his hoarse laugh. Then, quieter, See you in the Treasure House.
See you.
The comm line fuzzed out as the clouds thickened around the ship. Mara gripped the controls tighter, struggling for stability.
Is the Treasure House a bar? Kell asked above the rattling hull.
Scavengers afterlife.
He gave a small nod, thick with understanding, and then everything went insane.
Arcadia was a solidly-built ship. It had to be, to produce enough power to tow sizeable cargo. Mara made minor repairs from time to time on the hull, but it held together without problem, unlike some of the cheap, old ships she saw clattering through the galaxy.
Right now, flying into the energy storm around Ryge, she seriously considered that the Arcadia was going to break into tiny fragments. The ship quaked and shuddered as energy clouds buffeted it from every side. It sounded like they were being attacked by sonic hammers.
She gripped the controls until her hands ached, fighting to keep the ship steady.
Beside her, Kell stared ahead, grim and focused. The cockpit was filled with sulfurous light,
painting his stern face in harsh yellow illumination.
There was no fear in his eyes, only determination. That helped stabilize her, even as the ship was knocked back and forth like a childs mechtop.
She cursed. The damn energy currents are shoving us all over the place. As she said this, they were flung to the side, and only her seatbelt kept her from being thrown to the wall.
Dont fight them. Kells voice was level, raised only to be heard above the clamor. Use their swells to move forward.
It sounded like a bad idea, since she had no idea where the currents would take them, but things couldnt get worse. At this rate, she and Kell would soon be burning fragment falling to Ryge. So, instead of wrestling the ship away from the energy swells, she steered with them.
For a moment, they careened, out of control, as the swells momentum took hold. Mara knew a brief panic as command of the ship vanished. The Arcadia belonged to another creature. It belonged to the storm. She wanted to pull hard on the controls, seize her ship back.