Adiron (Corsair Brothers 1)

Been there. Done that. Got a gut full of stab wounds to show for it.

I turn to Bethiah and gesture at the bridge doors. "Don't suppose you know how to get this open?"

She shrugs, a bright smile on her face. "Shoot it until something opens?"

I'm never going to give my brothers shit again for groaning at one of my bad ideas. I stare at her.

She shrugs again. "Space her?"

I shake my head. "The bridge is locked down tight. She has access to all the controls there. We can't space her. If we try to force our way in, she could destroy all the controls and leave us stranded here. We need a plan."

Bethiah taps her blaster on her chin. "Want to try negotiating?"

"With her? Are you serious?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were swimming with so many other ideas?" Bethiah hisses at me. "Why are you being such a grump? I thought that was Mathiras."

Am I like Mathiras? I guess when it comes to Jade and her safety, I'm turning into a boring stodge, just like my brother. I'm not even mad about it, either. I just need to make sure Jade is safe, and if Bethiah doesn't like my plans, too bad. "You do realize negotiating with Shaalyn is pointless? She's just going to lie to you to save her skin."

"So? Like I'm going to keep my end of the bargain?" Bethiah looks at me as if I'm insane. "I'll say whatever we need as long as we get her ass out of the bridge so we can take control."

I don't have any better ideas, so I gesture for Bethiah to do her best.

She steps up and taps a communication request onto the panel.

Waits.

Glances over at me.

Waits a bit longer.

"Initiating vacuum sequence," the ship chirps helpfully. "Airlocks will be opened in ten minutes. Please secure all loose equipment."

Bethiah and I exchange a look of horror.

Shaalyn isn't going to negotiate. She's going to expel us from the ship itself.

69

ADIRON

I race to the door panels, but the controls are a bright red, the alert flashing over the screen. Not only are they locked down, but the sequence can't be changed.

I'm glad Jade's still in stasis. She'll be fine. I'm just sad I won't be there when she wakes up. I look over at Bethiah. "Any last words?"

"This is some bullshit," she grumbles, shoving past me and pounding on the panel as if that will somehow activate it. She hammers at it, and then lets out an incoherent cry of rage. "I am not going to be bested!"

She's taking this rather poorly. I watch her have a tantrum for a moment longer, and then I turn and head down the hall to med-bay.

"Where are you going?" Bethiah asks me.

"Gonna go spend my last few minutes with my mate," I tell her. Really, we've walked into a boneheaded trap. The moment Shaalyn suspected things were turning on her, she secured herself in the room with all the controls. If Bethiah was half as clever as she thought, she'd have locked down the ship herself before starting her mutiny.

Nothing to be done about it now, though. It was an attempt, and not all attempts are successful. I'm just sad I won't get to see Jade smile again. To hear that soft, reluctant laugh of hers when I do something ridiculous and unexpected. My chest squeezes painfully. We should have had more time together. It's unfair to only be given a little over a month with the female I love, only to lose her. I'm not normally one to mope about fate, but all I can think about is Jade. Jade waking up and I'm not there. Jade feeling like I abandoned her, when it's the furthest thing from the truth.

I'm going to spend the last of my time draped over her stasis pod, gazing down into her beautiful, sleeping face. I want her to be the last thing I see before the vacuum of space sucks me out of the ship. I want—

I pause as I head down the hall toward med-bay.

Turn around.

Head back to the window I just passed.

There's a ship there. A very familiar-looking ship. As I watch, it extends the ship-to-ship docking mechanism, like a long, thin finger, even as the Jabberwock pulls up alongside Shaalyn's ship.

"Nine minutes until airlocks are opened," the ship says helpfully. "Please secure all loose equipment." It pauses for a moment and then continues in the same expressionless voice, "Unfamiliar vessel initiating ship-to-ship docking sequence. Please advise."

I shove my face against the glass, wondering if my sister can see the delight on my face from her ship. Probably not. Talk about a rescue in the nick of time. I race back down the hall, nearly collide with Bethiah, who giggles and does a happy little dance and then rushes right next to me as we head for the portal. The ship-to-ship dock extends painfully slowly and then pauses right before it can connect, and my heart skips a painful beat.