“Thank you,” she said, and glanced at Skymander. “I’m sure Clan Hazerna will be in touch with Odyssey on this matter.”
Looking at the determination on her face, I, too, was sure of it.
Once his wife had re-seated herself at his side, Skymander looked at the screen.
“We will meet you at High Costral in three standard days, so that the Lady Melari can transfer to Skymander’s Flag. In the meantime, I trust you will make her stay as comfortable as possible aboard your ship.”
Mack tensed, as though he’d received an unpleasant surprise, but then he cleared his throat and replied.
“Certainly, Lord Skymander. We will keep her safe.”
And Tens moved swiftly to his console and made a few adjustments that I had a feeling Delight wasn’t going to like. Skymander ignored him.
“The cure. I take it you have the formula, also?”
“Of course. We have the developmental files, as well as the formula for both variants, and possible paths of further research.”
Skymander sat a little straighter.
“And do you have the names of the scientists, too?”
“They are currently under Odyssey protection,” Mack told him, and Skymander smiled.
“So they are no longer in Corovan’s employ?”
“No.”
Skymander’s smile grew broader, but he didn’t try to garner any more information on the matter. It wasn’t hard to figure out that he had the resources to discover their names for himself, and would try and employ those scientists before anyone else could. I wondered if Odyssey would let them go.
“Your contract closes with the delivery of those files, any samples of the virus and its cures, and, of course, the safe arrival aboard the Flag of the Lady Melari Hazerna.”
“Yes, my Lord,” Mack said, at his most diplomatic, and they ended the call, together.
Mack turned to the Lady Melari, and offered her his arm.
“Let me escort you back to your quarters,” he said, and Melari gave him a happy smile, as she entwined her arm through his. “I take it they are sufficient.”
I hesitated, before following them, and, like Mack, ignored the curious glance Melari cast over her shoulder. At least I wasn’t invisible anymore. This time, I would play the escort, and watch, since that’s what it seemed Mack wanted me to do. Mack, for his part, appeared strangely oblivious to what I was thinking, and gave the lady what looked like his undivided attention.
We delivered Melari to her cabin, and I waited with her, just inside the door, as Mack checked it for intruders.
“Even out here?” Melari asked, surprised, and Mack nodded.
“Even here, my lady. Not because there is likely to be an intruder, but because it’s better to take no risks rather than discover our assumptions were incorrect.”
“Are you sure you’re not Clan?” she asked, and I wondered what sort of life she’d had to even think it.
“The sort where assassination, moral compromise, and danger, are always present. High clan nobility must be constantly on guard—and so must we,” Mack replied, but only in my head, and not where Melari could hear it.
Well, that explained her attitude.
Mack returned, indicating that the room was hers.
“All clear,” he said. “What are your plans for the day?”
Melari gave a long and drawn-out yawn, waving her hand dismissively as she turned away.
“Day?” she asked. “I’ll let you know when I’ve woken up. This is an uncivilized hour to be calling my fiancé.”
I was glad I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
“Quit your whining!”
I startled at Mack’s voice reprimanding me through the implant, and drew a hasty breath, as I followed Mack out into the corridor.
“Breakfast?” he asked, once the door closed behind him.
“Sure,” I said, wondering if he’d forgotten the coffee offer he’d bribed me with, in what seemed an age ago.
“That’s breakfast,” he said, “I forgot it would be delayed.
Uh huh. I just bet he had. I didn’t believe there wouldn’t be a similar ‘forgotten’ delay regarding breakfast, until we’d hit the caf and were sitting down with food and coffee before us.
We ate in silence. Me, because I couldn’t think of anything to say. The short time that had passed since I’d made my attempt to run away from him and Odyssey hadn’t left me with a lot of time to think, and I still didn’t know what I was going to do next. Getting to know Mack and his crew hadn’t even featured on the agenda, since I’d never planned to be here this long.
“And now?” Mack asked, jolting me out of my own head.
I jumped and felt coffee slosh over my fingers, glad it had cooled since I’d poured it.
“Now, what?” I asked, playing for time, and hoping he hadn’t meant what I thought he had.
“What are you planning on, now?” he pressed, because, of course, he had meant what I’d thought he had. Damn man was still reading my mind.
He had the gall to smirk at that, but he didn’t let the subject alone.
“Still going to run away?” he asked, and I stared at him, with no idea what to say.
To be honest, I didn’t know what I was going to do. Was I still going to run away? I had no idea. Did I want to spend the next however long working with Mack, and being an Odyssey employee?
I don’t know and oh hell no!—although, that last bit depended entirely on how much I’d made from the however many ops we’d just crammed into the last few weeks. Given the risks we’d faced, and the unexpected opportunities that had come our way, I had my fingers crossed I was getting somewhere close to meeting the colossal sum Odyssey had set for my release.
“Like that is it?” Mack asked, and I realized I’d gotten lost in my thoughts again.
I shrugged.
“How the hell am I supposed to know?” I asked.
Mack glared at me, as though I should have some idea, but Tens interrupted us before Mack could respond.
“You need to take this,” he said, speaking directly to the captain, even though I could hear him, and then Tens added, “on the bridge,”
