Page 2 of Only Cold Depths
“Oh, yes,” the woman chirped. “Everyone follows the Regal trends, but items from that night have been particularly popular. I can barely keep them in stock . . .”
The woman prattled on about Regal fashions, gesturing at several other pieces of jewelry, along with a rack of gowns stuffed into the booth. I tuned out her words and studied the brooch even more carefully. Itwasa replica of the butterfly hairpin I’d worn during the midnight ball, although the original hairpin had been more of a small dagger.
That hairpin had been a bit of good luck. Maybe this brooch would bring me more of the same. And if it didn’t, well, I could always pry out the opals and sapphsidian chips and melt down the silver and use them in my inventions.
I held the brooch out to the booth owner. “Will you wrap it up for me, please?”
She took it from me. “Of course! House Zimmer is always happy to serve its customers.”
This time, my entire body went cold and numb, as though I’d been transported from this warm Tropics planet to an icy Frozon moon. My head slowly lifted, my neck cracking with the motion. I stared up at the booth’s gray plastipaper pennant, which was emblazoned with a large stylized ice-blueZ—the sigil for House Zimmer.
Tropics 44 was officially controlled by the Erzton, although it was on the border of Erzton and Imperium territory and featured a mix of people and businesses. More than one booth boasted a sigil for an Imperium Regal family, although I hadn’t noticed the House Zimmer symbol until now.
House Zimmer was run by my, well,family, if you could call them that. Beatrice, my grandmother, was the head of the House, while my father, Wendell, was her second-in-command. And then there was Zane, my older brother, who was also the head of the Arrows, the Imperium’s elite warriors.
Nerezza Blackwell, my mother, had abandoned me when I was seven, and I’d never had any clue as to my father’s identity until a few weeks ago. Ever since I’d discovered that Wendell was my father, I’d been struggling with my simmering anger and deep disgust at the Zimmers for hiding my existence for the last thirty-seven years.
“Here you go,” the booth owner chirped again. “I wrapped it up all neat and pretty.”
I mumbled my thanks and used my tablet to transfer the appropriate credits into the booth owner’s account. She charged me an outrageous amount for the brooch, far more than what it was worth, but I paid without complaint. The second the transfer went through, I snatched the tiny ice-blue box out of her hand, shoved it into my bag, and hurried away.
I moved past booths filled with everything from porcelain tea sets to fresh flowers to swords, blasters, and other weapons. A few people shot me curious looks, clearly wondering why I was wearing a long gray cloak over my dark blue jacket, shirt, cargo pants, and boots instead of the colorful short-sleeved shirts, shorts, and sandals most folks were sporting in the sticky heat. I ignored them and kept going, hefting my bag onto my shoulder. Maybe it was my imagination, but the House Zimmer butterfly brooch felt heavier than all the food stuffed inside the cloth.
Vesper? What’s wrong?a deep voice murmured.
I flinched again at the sound of my own name. My heart galloped up into my throat, and my gaze zoomed from side to side like an out-of-control spaceship. Then I remembered the voice was only in my mind and no one here knew I was Vesper Quill, Regal lady and Imperium fugitive.
You feel . . . upset, the voice continued.
For the third time, I flinched, although my expression quickly morphed into a small, rueful smile. I was still getting used to Kyrion Caldaren telepathically talking to me, especially when a considerable distance separated us.
I was in the marketplace, but Kyrion was in the nearby spaceport, on board theDream World, his blitzer, waiting for me to return with the supplies.
Vesper?Kyrion asked again, concern sharpening his voice.What’s wrong?
Nothing, I finally replied.I just spotted a House Zimmer booth. It took me by surprise.
Ah, I see.The words rumbled through my mind, and a wave of soft, warm sympathy washed over me as though I was standing in a Tropics ocean that was the perfect temperature. Even without our truebond, the psionic connection that let us share thoughts, feelings, skills, and more, Kyrion still would have known about my conflicted emotions regarding my long-lost family.
I should have been the one to go to the marketplace, Kyrion continued, his crisp Corios accent becoming more pronounced.
My smile widened. He always worried whenever I left the ship. After being on my own for so long, it was nice to have someone who cared, especially as much as Kyrion did.
We’ve talked about this a dozen times. You were the leader of the Arrows and have been a staple on the Regal gossipcasts for years. You arefarmore recognizable than me, even with a disguise.
We’re both pretty recognizable now, thanks to Holloway and his bounty, Kyrion replied, a sour note creeping into his voice.
The sticky cobweb that was Kyrion’s psionic presence in my mind bristled with anger, as though the strands had morphed into tiny spears, and the same sensation prickled my skin with its tingling intensity. Our truebond was still so new that it was often difficult to tell whether some of the emotions I experienced were my own, Kyrion’s feelings, or a combination of the two.
Don’t worry.I’ll be back soon, and then we can make the final pinpoint jump to Sygnustern.I paused.And eat a meal that doesn’t come out of a plastic wrapper.
Soft laughter drifted through my mind.I’ll be waiting, and so will my taste buds.
Good, because I bought some delicious-looking fruit for dessert.
Oh, I had somethingelsein mind for dessert.Somethingfarmore pleasurable and satisfying than fruit.The low, silky purr of Kyrion’s voice made anticipation skitter down my spine.
An image bloomed in my mind: Kyrion and me in bed, my hands digging into his back, pulling him closer as he thrust inside me. Once again, I wasn’t sure if it was my thought or his or a shared memory of all the things we’d done last night, but heat flooded my cheeks, and desire spiked through my body.
