Page 29 of Consume
“And that’s my cue to leave.” Poh strode toward me and gave a slight nod, again with zero eye contact. A show of support? She had to know what I was about to do, and whether she wanted to kill me or not, she seemed to be letting me do this first.
I nodded back as she whisked by me, the hem of her long brown coat batting my ankles.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, Mase tipped his chin in her direction. “Ever notice she stands at attention when you’re around?”
“She’s always standing. She has titanium legs.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. Even when the captain’s here, she always looks to you for direction.”
“The only direction I know to go in is toward you.”
He looked at me for a long moment, his head cocked to the side and a soft smile cupping his lips. “Well...that makes me the luckiest guy in the universe. Can we see that in action? You coming in my direction?”
My heart sang as I followed the thread that had connected us from day one, and then I was finally wrapping my arms around him. His musky scent flooded me, and I breathed it in deep, letting it settle into my pores once again after so long. He held me tight but gently, his face pressed into my white hair. Our bodies relaxed into each other’s, as if this was where we were meant to be, as if we’d lived our whole lives just to stand right here, together.
“Are you all right?” I whispered.
“I’m a lot better than I was.” His hands slid over the scales on my neck. “Are you? Are these...you?”
I pulled away so he could face the truth as I was telling it to him and so I could read his reaction to me. “They... The scales started before Parker arrived and then spread. I didn’t tell you because I was trying to pretend they didn’t really exist, that maybe they’d go away on their own, but...”
He trailed his fingers down my arms, feeling each and every part that didn’t belong to me. “What do they mean?”
“The ghosts on this ship that I invited inside me... I don’t think they passed through. They’re still there, pressing against my skin to get out.” I trapped my bottom lip between my teeth to keep if from trembling and forced a slow breath. “I wish I knew what to do with them.”
“What do you think will happen if we don’t figure that out?” he asked gently.
We. Us. Not just me. With him, I would never have to feel alone as I faced the impossible, and I loved him even more for that.
“I don’t know what will happen.” I shook my head, willing myself not to cry so I could get out this next part. “There’s more I didn’t tell you. I knew Parker was going to board this ship. Something had to give, Mase. The captain knew that, too, and I was going to come warn you, but we ran out of time and—”
“Hey. Whoa. Stop.” He dipped his chin to look me in the eyes. “Are you seriously blaming yourself for Parker’s sick fascination with me and feeding my drug addiction?”
“I chose to get off this ship and leave you behind to deal with everything on your own.” Admitting that to him swamped me with heated shame, and I looked away.
“Because you were trying to stop the Saelises.”
“And then you got captured by the Byrians, andI thought you were dead.” My voice broke, even now, even with him standing right in front of me and very much alive. If he really had died... Well, I didn’t think I could take it.
“Listen to me,” he said, voice low, and tipped my chin up so I’d look at him. “I’m not going anywhere. You do what you have to do. Always. I may be blind in one eye, but I see exactly what’s in front of me—a college girl who stole my heart and an iron maiden who has it in her to end the Black War. Poh sees it too. Everyone sees it, or we wouldn’t be here trying to help you.”
I let his words wash over me like a loving caress even as they wound the knot tighter in my gut. If I had it in me to end the Black War, I sure wished I knew where “it” was exactly.
“You could be covered in slimy boils,” he continued, “and I would still be standing right here, Absidy. Nothing will ever change that.”
“Slimy boils?” I choked out. “Really?”
He pressed his smile into my forehead. “I’d just put a bag over your head.”
I chuckled.
“Only one thing kept me going at the Byrians’.” His warm breath fanned over my scales. “And she’s standing right in front of me.”
“I love you,” I sighed into him.
“I love you too.”
“Mase...”
