Page 35 of Keeping Sarah

She yawned and stretched lazily. “I guess.”

Deacon sat up, his brows furrowed in equal concern as he eyed Sarah. “You told me we were leavingafter, right?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Then can we get going?” he said, trying to move things along. “I do not like being here in Rex’s manor and territory any longer than needed.”

“Seconded,” I chimed in.

“But this bed is so comfortable,” she whined, and trailed her fingers down my abdomen.

I caught her wrist before she could distract me. “You promised,” I said, more firmly this time.

“Fine,” she huffed.

We were all weary, but we each took a quick shower, cleaned up, and dressed. Sarah didn’t put up another excuse, which was a relief. After a while, she seemed like herself again, aside from being tired.

I took her hand in mine and kissed it, before we left Rex’s bedroom. “We can have breakfast onSovereign.”

As we walked down the halls, Deacon asked conversationally, “Your replicators were repaired?”

“I think so. We’ll have to check with Treg.”

“I thought he was repairing the scrubbers,” Sarah noted.

“She needed a lot of repairs,” I said ruefully, of my older ship. “Hopefully, there will be breakfast. If not—"

A crowd of armed men blocked the hall we had turned down, bringing us to an abrupt stop. Helios stood in front of them and announced, “I waited until midmorning, as ordered. We are here to negotiate the release of our master.”

Sarah smiled politely. “I will be releasing him after all of us are on boardSovereign. Not a moment sooner.”

Helios eyed us carefully. “Let my master speak for himself.”

She sighed in annoyance, but concentrated. Her body trembled as she tipped her head to the side. Then Rex’s head was there, creepy as fuck, like the day before.

“Let them pass unharmed,” Rex said, much too reasonably. “I agree to her terms. Do not, under any circumstances, retaliate against any of her people. We will handle this matter diplomatically.”

“Very well, master.” Helios executed a slight bow, and the men lined the sides of the hall, opening a space for us.

Sarah took control back, her head upright, then she led the way down the hall.

Deacon glanced at me, his expression disturbed. “That will never not be weird.”

I couldn’t agree more.

We followed behind Sarah as we walked through the manor and out onto the estate. When Deacon and I stepped ontoSovereign, everyone was already on board. It was good to be on my ship again, but I went no further than the passenger entry and waited by the door, where Sarah was the last to step in.

Omen stood by, as well. Sarah started up the ramp, like she was going to enter the ship, but before she could step onboard I stopped her. “Did you forget something?" I prompted, giving her a subtle reminder to release Rex, as she said she would.

“Oh, right,” she said, then closed her eyes.

She looked as though she was having an internal conversation with herself, or with her dark passenger, which I didn’t like at all. Then her body shook much harder than before. Rex appeared to step from her, his eyes wide as he came back to his ghost form outside her body.

Sarah nodded to him. “I will send a messenger with my terms.”

“I look forward to it.” He glanced beyond her, to Deacon and me. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come along? I’d like a word with Deacon—"

Omen unceremoniously pushed him off the ship and he fell onto the ground next to the onramp, while I slammed the door shut, sealing him outside, where he belonged. Now that Sarah had parted ways with Rex, there was no way I was allowing him on my ship, for any reason at all.

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