Zodiac (Zodiac, #1)(38)

“I need to keep looking, he could have attacked already,” I mumble, floating back to the Ephemeris. Our silence stretches longer, and soon Mathias is programming protections at the helm again, and I’m scanning the black opal’s imitation Space.

The engines emit a quiet hum, and the piloting screens flicker soft blue light. The map revolves above me hypnotically, and after a while, I give up. Ochus isn’t coming.

“My lady.”

My head jerks up, and I nearly do a somersault in midair.

There’s a guy with white-streaked blond hair and large green eyes coasting into our ship’s glass nose. His expensive suit bears the Libran coat of arms.

“What . . . what are you doing here?” I ask, reaching out to touch Hysan Dax, to see if he’s real.When my hand is in front of him, he holds it and kisses my skin again. An Abyssthe-like rush shoots up my veins.

“Happy to already be of service.”

Mathias eases in front of me, shielding my body with his. He’s holding some kind of device in his palm, oval-shaped and silver bright. A weapon?

“I scanned this ship,” he says in a clipped, military voice, pointing the device at Hysan. “How did you stow away?”

“You misunderstand.” Hysan’s face is still pleasant, but his eyes harden when they land on Mathias. “You’re on my ship.”

Mathias draws himself up, ramrod straight in midair. “Emergency requisition. You were notified to vacate.”

Hysan’s centaur smile widens. “Equinox is a Libran emissary ship. You can’t confiscate diplomatic property.”

“By galactic law, this ship is under emergency orders from the Cancrian Zodai Guard.” Mathias bites off his words in sharp, precise syllables. “Please get to your capsule, and we’ll launch you in any direction you choose.”

“Or maybe I’d prefer to launch you.” The pleasantness in Hysan’s face flashes dangerously. A different expression rises to the surface, a counterbalance to his charm.

I’ve never seen Mathias lose his composure, but a muscle in his cheek is quivering. I use the handrail to pull myself between them. “Hysan, we’re sorry we took your ship. We’re on an emergency mission, and I hate that in our haste we’ve put you in danger. Please get in your capsule, and we’ll return your ship to you when we’re done.”

I swallow, thinking of darker outcomes. “Or Cancer will send you an IOU.”

Hysan bursts into laughter, and his return to good humor is so genuine that he seems to radiate warmth. “An IOU,” he repeats, his cheeks still dimpled and his eyes looking at me in a way I’ve never been looked at before. Like I’m someone who might amaze him.

Then he turns to the screen on the wall nearest him, presses a few buttons, and suddenly my hand is heavy with gravity, and my feet hit the ground—as does Mathias’s Wave, my boots, and Mathias himself.

“Simulation gravity,” says Hysan, shrugging. “Makes things easier.”

Mathias stands and brushes himself off. He definitely looks impressed, even if he’ll never admit it out loud.

I cross my arms and stare at Hysan. “Where have you been this whole time? We’ve been flying for hours.”

He punches in a few more keys on the screen. “I was asleep in my cabin when I awoke to find you stealing my personal transport.” He turns to Mathias. “You now have access to the full navigation controls, by the way.”

Mathias spins around to the holographic control panel, and ten new screens pop up beside the five he was staring at, each one offering myriad more options. The screens have strange headings, like ’Nox’s Brain Powers, Recovery Requires Review, and Shielding from Shadows.

While an entranced Mathias scrolls through the settings, I start to speak in a whisper so only Hysan can hear me. “This ship seems too advanced for Mathias to have broken through its security as quickly as he did.”

Hysan’s green gaze grows so soft, I can almost feel its touch. “What are you saying, my lady?”

A moment ago, I wanted his attention. But now that he’s right here—so close he takes up most of my view—I wish he’d look anywhere else. “I-I think you knew we were coming aboard, and you gave us permission.”

In the corner of his right iris, I spy a small, star-shaped bloom of gold among the green. I’ve heard about this—it’s the Libran version of a Wave, called a Scan. Librans use it to scan new information into a special storage space in their minds. It’s housed in a small chip that’s implanted in their brains when they turn twelve. They can also use it to send each other messages or review stored information.

“I told you I’d be at your service,” he whispers. “Always.”

“Always is a long time.”

“Wisely observed, my lady.”

I laugh. “I guess you better start calling me Rho.”

“We’re approaching planet Argyr now,” announces Mathias, his voice cold. I feel my cheeks go pink as I meet his disapproving stare.

“Argyr?” asks Hysan. “That morass of debauchery? We can’t take Lady Rho—”

Whatever Hysan says next is drowned by a low, thin wail coming from my Ephemeris. I whip around, and so does Hysan. A fiery, invisible pulse buzzes through my cells—just like the night of our concert on Elara—and the unnatural squeal of the black opal scrapes my eardrums.