Starfall (Starflight #2)(24)

Cassia dusted kisses on Acorn’s head. “I’m the worst mama ever.”

“Cut yourself some slack.” Kane turned his gaze to the floor, his voice darkening. “You had to focus on something else for a while. Doesn’t mean you love her any less.”

Acorn began rooting around for her favorite pocket above Cassia’s heart, but it didn’t exist on the royal silken tunic.

“I think she should stay with you when the Banshee leaves,” Kane added. “It makes sense. You’re the one she’s bonded to.”

Something heavy tugged on Cassia’s stomach. Logically, she knew the crew wouldn’t stay here forever, but at the same time, she couldn’t picture them moving on without her. Especially not Kane. “Whatever Gage promised you, I’ll make sure the clerk’s office matches it.”

“I don’t care about the money.”

“Then what?”

“You know what.”

She opened her mouth to deny it, but she couldn’t. She did know what he wanted: a commitment, which was the last thing she could give him right now. She thought back to the morning of her wedding, when she’d wished for a second chance with Kane. That chance had come at the worst possible time. The colony was more fragile than spun sugar. Eturia’s needs had to come first. It would take months, maybe years, before she had time to devote to a relationship.

“Your mother is here,” she reminded him. “All your friends are here.” And me, she added silently. I’m here. “This is the life you wanted before. Why not now?”

“Because I’m different than I was at sixteen, and so are you.” He spoke his next words carefully, as if afraid they might detonate inside his mouth. “You’re a queen, Cassy—a married queen—and not just of the Rose kingdom. You own the entire planet.” He spread both arms wide, gaping in shock. “I can’t wrap my head around that much power, and to be honest, I can’t believe you’re okay with it.”

If she hadn’t been so caught up in the conversation, she might’ve heard General Jordan enter from the lower stairs. As it was, he made his presence known by announcing, “The rebels can’t believe it, either. Makes me wonder if the rumors about you are true.”

It was then that Renny stepped inside the galley from the opposite doorway. He blinked sleepily through his glasses, but there was nothing gentle about his voice. “If you have an issue with one of my crew, take it up with me. Otherwise, get off my ship.”

“Everyone, calm down.” Cassia narrowed her eyes at Jordan. “I’m sure no one’s accusing Kane of being a rebel.”

“Of course not,” Jordan droned. “Must’ve gotten my rumors confused.”

“I asked you to wait outside.”

“Believe me, I wanted to. There’s an emergency.”

“What kind?”

Jordan hesitated, darting glances around the room as if gauging whether to trust its occupants. “Biological warfare from the sound of it. A third of the city’s sick with the same symptoms, but the royal physician says it’s not viral or bacterial.”

Kane pushed off the counter. “What are the symptoms?”

“Nausea and vomiting.” Jordan paused in thought and then continued ticking items on his fingers. “Fatigue, headaches, loss of appetite…”

“What about sweating?” Kane asked. “And trembling hands?”

“How’d you know?”

“My mom. I knew something was wrong yesterday. She blamed it on the coffee, but that didn’t—” Suddenly, Kane stiffened. “The coffee! That’s a new ration, right? If you imported it from the Durango stock, maybe it was poisoned.”

“I drank the coffee, and I feel fine,” Jordan said. “But I’ll have my men survey the victims to see if they can find a common denominator. If so, we should be able to analyze a sample and identify the contaminant.”

“While you do that, I want five minutes alone with Marius,” Kane muttered darkly. “If there’s an antidote for whatever his army used, I’ll get it out of him.”

Cassia shook her head. “No way. If anything happens to him, his army has no reason to observe the cease-fire. I hate him as much as anyone, but he’s under my protection, at least until we figure out who his off-world backer is. I have to sever that relationship to make sure his supplier can’t send more weapons, otherwise the war will start all over again.”

“Wait a minute,” Renny interjected while shuffling toward the sink to fill a glass with water. “You told me the Durangos specialize in neurological advancements. Didn’t they invent some kind of truth extractor?”

“Yes, and we already used it,” Cassia said. “Marius doesn’t know who his backer is. His father arranged the deal and kept the details to himself. Now the old king is dead, and all Marius has is a transmission code to reach his supplier through a third party in the outer realm.”

“We haven’t questioned Marius about the outbreak yet,” Jordan told her.

“All right. I’ll handle it.”

“We’ll handle it,” Kane corrected.

“Fine.” She waved him toward the stairs. “Go get dressed. We’ll handle it.”