I falter with the Bond, weakening my mute on it. For a second, the auras of my three Aurelians lovers become crystal clear – sharp and vivid, before I can force them back down to almost nothingness in my consciousness.
Their auras are filled with fear, confusion, and horror. They’re terrified of losing me.
They’ll have to suffer that pain, though – just as I’ll suffer my own pain.
“Sawoot? Let’s see if that card works.”
“On it, boss.” She picks the closest functional Reaver and scans her card on the entry chip. The doors to the attack ship open.
I walk to my old ship to say goodbye. The Wayward Scythe is bigger than the Reavers, and significantly clunkier, but it’s got a third of the power and barely any armaments.
My old ship is pitted with scars from countless close escapes. Unlike The Instigator, my ship got her wounds from running away from fights, not powering head-first into them. It took all my money and a big loan to afford this ship in the first place – the first one of my own.
But the Wayward Scythe is worthless compared to a Reaver.
Reavers are the smallest vessels in the Aurelian fleet, but that’s not saying much. They’re still made for the huge, alien species – and scaled to match. I step through the hatch of our new Reaver, whistling softly under my breath.
It’s spartan inside. There are two gunning stations, a cockpit, three small bedrooms and a brig for carrying prisoners. Those are the only main rooms aboard this assault ship. These vessels are made for long journeys and short combat engagements – normally manned by a single, Bonded triad.
Now, we’re the trio who’ll be taking the helm – me, Sawoot and Theme.
“I’ll take the controls,” I order. “You two are on gunning duty. We’ve got to get out of here before the ships on that moon close the distance. We’ve got a good head start, but I don’t want to leave anything to chance.”
“Yes, Captain,” Sawoot and Theme chorus.
I sit down in the huge commander’s chair. The ship is built for an Aurelian triad – a triad of men significantly larger than me. I’m practically swallowed up in the seat, but I can still see out the huge, tempered glass cockpit easily enough.
The controls are unfamiliar at first, but adjusting to them is a matter of instinct for a pilot like me. My hands quickly figure them out, almost without conscious thought.
I press down on the thrusters and we lift up silently. I’m used to the roar of engines, but Reavers are powered by an Orb – so the acceleration is smoother and faster than my old hulk.
Theme and Sawoot take to the gunnery stations, looking small and childlike in those massive, oversized seats as I do in the commander’s chair.
Each of them now has the controls of an Orb-Beam – a fearsome weapon that can lay out enough power to take out three Toad assault ships in the blink of an eye. If I’d had this Reaver, I wouldn’t have had to run from that Toad Captain – and we’d never have ended up on The Instigator.
I’d have never been Bonded to Aelon, Vinicus and Iunia.
Sawoot glances back to the loading bay as I hover in front of the air-field. I hesitate. This is it.
If I do this, I’m leaving those three men behind. I’m leaving them with new depths of pain.
“Tasha?” Sawoot demands. “Should I blast the other Reavers, so they can’t follow us?”
I wince. It’s the right decision, for my crew. If Aelon regains control soon, he could use those Reavers to chase us down. He might even be crazy enough to try to Orb-Shift towards me.
I do everything I can to push his aura out of my mind. If he can’t feel which direction I’m heading in, he won’t risk an Orb-Shift for nothing. That’s what I hope, anyway.
But I hate the idea of Aelon disappearing into nothingness because of me, if he attempts an Orb-Shift and it goes wrong, as we’ve heard increasing reports of.
I make my decision.
“Hold your fire. They stole from us, but they’ll need every ship they’ve got if the Toads come back.”
Theme clears his throat. “We might not be willing to Orb-Shift with those rumors you’ve heard, but Captain Aelon is insane. He might risk it. We need to blast the Reavers, or we’ll definitely be re-captured.”
A light blinks on my HUD, showing that Theme has a Reaver in the sights of his Orb-Beam.
“Stand down, Theme! We’re not leaving them with fewer defenses than they already have. You know Aelon won’t shy away from a fight, even if he’s outgunned.”
“That’s not our problem!” But then Theme checks himself. “I’m sorry. You are the Captain. I won’t shoot.” The light blinks out on my HUD. He’s not targeting anything anymore.
Thank the Gods for a man who can follow orders.
I stare ahead, through the air-field.
If I hesitate any longer, I may never leave. It’s now or never.
I slam the thrusters forward, and we punch out of the loading bay – leaving The Instigator behind us and screaming into the dead of space.
Aelon will fight the Toads even if he’s outgunned, outnumbered, and outflanked. His plan is a good one – unless the Toads come in truly unsurmountable numbers. That’s a real possibility, with such a rich prize to be claimed.
That’s my biggest problem with Captain Aelon. It isn’t his possessiveness, his dominance, or his arrogance. The reason I can’t see myself being with him is that he doesn’t value his own life or future. He’d take revenge even if it killed him.
I wish Iunia had more of an effect on him - if only to convince Aelon of the fact that he has a Fated Mate now, and a chance to be a father. It’s as if those things – the most important things to the Aurelian species – don’t matter to Aelon. That’s what hurts the most - that the thought of fatherhood doesn’t change
