wearing thin. You either choose someone within the next week, or I’ll choose him for you.”
“But, Meiling, you can’t do that—”
“I am your mother!” The beeper strapped around her slender wrist buzzed and she glanced at it. “I’ve got some business to take care of before Sergei leaves, but I meant what I said. Think about your choices, because I’ve had it with your reluctance.” The glimmer in her dark eyes was cold and distant as she stood. “Making sure you marry a wealthy man is going to be better for you in the long run. Never forget that.”
Lian didn’t respond. A small grin spread over her lips as soon as the door slid shut behind her. She couldn’t help but feel smug about why her mother’s lecture was cut short. She’d caught sight of the message, which read— the girls are gone again .
She raced to the window and hit the zoom button to magnify the window further, until she spotted the crashed ship in the distance. It really happened.
As Lian passed the bed in her haste to reach the door so she could rush out, her vision curled at the edges. She fell back onto the mattress moments before passing out.
Chapter Three
Knox’s borrowed boots kicked plumes of dust around him as he ran.
He couldn’t believe Mike’s directions had actually led to a ship. For a while there, he’d thought the man had been toying with him. But nope, there it was—ready for the taking.
This had to be karma for repaying his debt to the Recast.
Like an eager fool, he rushed inside and into the middle of a very small cockpit. If he stretched his arms, he could touch the plastic walls on either side. He could also inspect every nook and cranny because there wasn’t much to see. It contained two narrow vinyl seats—the pilot and passenger. The back of the ship was stacked with six shelved metal cots, all with leather straps. What kind of craft was this, some sort of prisoner transport? He doubted it. He hadn’t seen any official emblems on the exterior.
Right now, he didn’t give a shit about who owned it or what they used it for.
“Bloody hell, this is perfect.” After so much crap, he deserved a break.
He reached for the door, shut it and plopped into the pilot’s seat.
Knox took a few moments to examine the dashboard. It reflected the size and quality of the ship in its simplicity. The dash—like the walls—was mostly plastic and displayed a handful of colorful buttons. It certainly wouldn’t take a genius to pilot this piece of junk, and he’d had plenty of practice. The multihued panels lit after one press of a green button.
The screen displayed the navigational map, pinpointing his location in the southern hemisphere of Fray, near the small town of Grit. The monitor beside it had an attached keyboard, which he assumed was for communication. But neither helped with what he wanted to do first—slide open the shuttered window. After some fiddling, the shield lifted with a rigid, metallic screech that didn’t sound healthy. This might be a cramped rust-bucket, but if it got him off this planet he wouldn’t complain.
Knox glared at the desolate, sandy horizon illuminated around him, determined—he hoped—never to return. He wanted to put as much distance as he could between him and the arena, the cryptic woman at the market, even the bartender who seemed to read his mind. Or at least got into his head.
There was only one thing he couldn’t put behind him. He was becoming something that craved blood and lived in the darkness. No, those were thoughts for another time.
He strapped himself in, took a few deep breaths, and started the engine.
Knox managed to keep the ship under control long enough to maneuver it into the sky, even if it was a bumpy ride. The radio on the dash was switched on, but there was only static.
“Here we go.”
With the engine pulsating beneath him, he wrapped his right hand around the steering lever and pulled back, gaining height as he did. It didn’t take
“But, Meiling, you can’t do that—”
“I am your mother!” The beeper strapped around her slender wrist buzzed and she glanced at it. “I’ve got some business to take care of before Sergei leaves, but I meant what I said. Think about your choices, because I’ve had it with your reluctance.” The glimmer in her dark eyes was cold and distant as she stood. “Making sure you marry a wealthy man is going to be better for you in the long run. Never forget that.”
Lian didn’t respond. A small grin spread over her lips as soon as the door slid shut behind her. She couldn’t help but feel smug about why her mother’s lecture was cut short. She’d caught sight of the message, which read— the girls are gone again .
She raced to the window and hit the zoom button to magnify the window further, until she spotted the crashed ship in the distance. It really happened.
As Lian passed the bed in her haste to reach the door so she could rush out, her vision curled at the edges. She fell back onto the mattress moments before passing out.
Chapter Three
Knox’s borrowed boots kicked plumes of dust around him as he ran.
He couldn’t believe Mike’s directions had actually led to a ship. For a while there, he’d thought the man had been toying with him. But nope, there it was—ready for the taking.
This had to be karma for repaying his debt to the Recast.
Like an eager fool, he rushed inside and into the middle of a very small cockpit. If he stretched his arms, he could touch the plastic walls on either side. He could also inspect every nook and cranny because there wasn’t much to see. It contained two narrow vinyl seats—the pilot and passenger. The back of the ship was stacked with six shelved metal cots, all with leather straps. What kind of craft was this, some sort of prisoner transport? He doubted it. He hadn’t seen any official emblems on the exterior.
Right now, he didn’t give a shit about who owned it or what they used it for.
“Bloody hell, this is perfect.” After so much crap, he deserved a break.
He reached for the door, shut it and plopped into the pilot’s seat.
Knox took a few moments to examine the dashboard. It reflected the size and quality of the ship in its simplicity. The dash—like the walls—was mostly plastic and displayed a handful of colorful buttons. It certainly wouldn’t take a genius to pilot this piece of junk, and he’d had plenty of practice. The multihued panels lit after one press of a green button.
The screen displayed the navigational map, pinpointing his location in the southern hemisphere of Fray, near the small town of Grit. The monitor beside it had an attached keyboard, which he assumed was for communication. But neither helped with what he wanted to do first—slide open the shuttered window. After some fiddling, the shield lifted with a rigid, metallic screech that didn’t sound healthy. This might be a cramped rust-bucket, but if it got him off this planet he wouldn’t complain.
Knox glared at the desolate, sandy horizon illuminated around him, determined—he hoped—never to return. He wanted to put as much distance as he could between him and the arena, the cryptic woman at the market, even the bartender who seemed to read his mind. Or at least got into his head.
There was only one thing he couldn’t put behind him. He was becoming something that craved blood and lived in the darkness. No, those were thoughts for another time.
He strapped himself in, took a few deep breaths, and started the engine.
Knox managed to keep the ship under control long enough to maneuver it into the sky, even if it was a bumpy ride. The radio on the dash was switched on, but there was only static.
“Here we go.”
With the engine pulsating beneath him, he wrapped his right hand around the steering lever and pulled back, gaining height as he did. It didn’t take
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