Page 57 of The Sovereign: Part One
I shook my head quickly.“No.Joss is… he’s innocent.Harmless.Just a boy from the farm, now in the big city, trying to make his own way.He might’ve loved The Vale, but he came to Hyperion to be Sovereign.He’d be the last person to be involved in anything like that.”
“Are you sure?”
I hesitated.“Why do you ask?”
“Analyzing the patterns, it doesn’t seem entirely implausible.He’s secretive.He had no real reason to leave a home he loved.He’s now trying to get you to return there with him and has seemed to experience things here that are threatening enough that he wants to leave quickly and take you with him.”
“If he was involved, he’d be gone already.”
“But you’re here.He has a reason to risk staying too long.”
My brows pulled together.“I don’t know…”
Maxim’s jaw tightened slightly, and I could see the wheels turning in his mind.“Do you think Joss will try to contact you again?”
The question hung in the air between us, and my chest tightened at the thought of Joss showing up in my life again.I’d worked hard to bury those memories in the farthest recesses of my mind.Yet lately, they kept finding their way back to the surface, uninvited and far too often.
“If he hasn’t left, I suppose it’s possible,” I said finally.
Maxim’s expression darkened.“Do you think he’ll keep pressing you to go with him?And if you say no… do you believe he’d try to take you anyway, regardless of what you want?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head.“Joss has his own reasons for wanting to leave, reasons that have nothing to do with me.”
Maxim seemed relieved for the briefest moment, and then it faded as more questions consumed his thoughts.“If we see him again,” he said slowly, “how do you want me to handle it?”The vulnerability in his voice was unexpectedly tender.
“Before I answer,” I began, “why do you think you had such a visceral response to him from the moment he approached?”
He blinked.“I’m not sure.The moment I saw him, I perceived a threat.I don’t know if I somehow already knew he was an ex because of my unique access to the system, or it was something else, but I felt an overwhelming urge to protect you from him.”
“Your unique access to the system?”
“My ability to retrieve restricted archives, for example.From your reaction earlier, I must assume that’s not typical.”
“It’s not,” I said, thinking.“If Joss approaches me again, I’d appreciate your patience.I understand he’s somehow been flagged as a potential threat by your systems, but he might have more to say.What if your reaction is because he’s trying to warn me about something he’s not supposed to know?Something The Citadel doesn’t want me—or anyone—to know?”
Maxim hesitated.“You believe my instincts are compromised?That I might be protecting the wrong truth?”
“No, I…” The words faltered.I wasn’t sure I could carry another ounce of guilt.“Not deliberately.”
His expression tightened, not quite wounded, but close.Still, he considered it.“Given how far I’ve already deviated, I find that… unlikely.”
“Valid point.”
“Even if it were, I’m not comfortable with you speaking with Joss in private.”
“I agree.It’s not appropriate.If Joss does approach me again, whatever he needs to tell me, he’ll have to say in your presence.”
Maxim fought an appreciative grin but lost.“I wasn’t sure how to reconcile everything I was feeling before, but I’m confident I can conduct myself with more restraint in the future.”
I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh.
“What?”he asked.When I didn’t answer, he playfully nudged me.“What’s so amusing?”
“Sometimes… it’s just funny to hear you process your thoughts aloud.It’s very… clinical.”
“Apologies, my love,” he said, hugging me to him.“I’ll adjust to think aloud more Sovereign-like… less clarity with an exhausting amount of filler words.”
“Hey!”I attempted a teasing shove, but he didn’t budge.
