Chapter 6
RYNETH
In the dark, Ryneth was back on the shuttle. Helpless, encased by cold metal. Hunted by the distorted voices of his captors. By those masks, the cages, the chaos of screaming prisoners and shouting captors…
The auction.
Ryneth opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Instead, the smell of blood filled his nostrils until he choked.
He saw Mara’s face, her hair lit by the kitchen light, and he wanted to cling to her, to what she’d represented, to a regret so heavy it made him fall even deeper.
If only he’d taken the Kassa job; then he’d still be home. He’d still be able to protect Tavi and the other boys.
Do you miss me?
His voice lingered in an echo that seemed to bounce off the inside of his brain. The words drove him crazy.
Because I miss you.
He tried to reach for Tavi, but his fingers were lead.
Every time he pushed toward the light, the static under his skin bucked.
It was a raw sting that forced him back into the black.
His ribs throbbed with every breath. He was afraid to open his eyes.
He didn’t know if he was back in the spaceship or lying on a floor.
He feared his captors were still there, waiting for him to wake so they could finish the job.
Then something swirled around him, lifting him from the darkness. It was weightless, invisible to touch, but surprisingly strong. It felt like…
Ryneth’s eyes snapped open.
It felt like air.
It curled around his chest, as if trying to shield him from the ache that had followed him out of the dark. But awake, he locked it down. Regret was a weakness he had learned to bury deep.
Fisting his hand, he let out a relieved breath when his static crackled to life and chased away the air that still clung to him. It drifted back like mist, and for one impossible second, Ryneth could actually see it move toward the wall.
Ryneth froze.
A man sat in an armchair by his bed, wide-legged, head tipped back as he leaned against the wall. His long throat was bare, the skin smooth and marked with dark ink. The stranger looked less like a guard and more like a statue carved from shadows. He looked about the same age as Ryneth.
Was he sleeping? Like that?
The air curled around him, then just… dissolved.
Ryneth blinked.
No. This man wasn’t a stranger. They had met before, but where?
The man stirred, then stretched, unfolding himself before turning toward him. Ryneth should have looked away, but he had gotten distracted, and now he was too late.
A pair of sharp, amber eyes stared at him. Lips curled in a cruel smile. “You’re awake.”
Ryneth turned and stared at the ceiling, wishing he could fall asleep again.
He closed his eyes but sensed the stranger approach.
Sudden fear licked his insides. He thought of the red scanner light from the shuttle.
A phantom sensation gripped his wrist, like a cuff snapping shut.
He checked his hands and feet. He wasn’t tied, but the dread remained.
What if this was… his new owner? What if Concordant had given him to this man?
“Hey.” A hand touched his arm and Ryneth jerked hard enough to wrench his shoulder.
The stranger loomed over him now, white-gold hair falling over his forehead as he looked down on him.
Up close, he was unfairly beautiful in a way that made Ryneth distrust him on sight—sharp amber eyes under dark lashes, a straight nose, a hard jaw, and thick brows arched like he expected the world to obey him.
Then he grinned, revealing jeweled incisors that made Ryneth’s blood turn cold.
“Remember me? No?” His smile sharpened. “That’s a shame. I remember you. Clearly. The name is Daven Caelith. You’ve been restless.”
As if on call, more of the shards of memories came back. The ship. Lysa and Karo. Were they still alive?
Good Light, the contract. Back home, they needed his paycheck. Mara—
“I need to go.” Ryneth gripped the mattress, knuckles white.
Whatever they’d given him was still in his blood, and it made his head swim.
“I can’t be here.” He shoved the blankets aside, his legs shaking as he tried to swing them over the bed frame.
“Thank you for helping me, but I’m late for work. They’re expecting me.”
Daven moved before Ryneth’s feet could even touch the carpet. Catching him by the shoulders, he shoved him back onto the pillows with enough force to knock the breath from his lungs.
“You’re not going anywhere, aethera.” Daven leaned over him, his weight pinning Ryneth into the mattress.
Ryneth gasped, back arching against the bed. Up close, Daven felt too close, too unfamiliar. Ryneth didn’t know if he was more afraid or angry. He hated that his gaze still snagged on Daven’s mouth, on the amber burn of his eyes.
Why did his gaze snag on details like that? It never had before. There had never been time to notice men. Or women, for that matter. Work was all that mattered. Getting the money back home.
He wasn’t about to start now.
“No. You don’t understand.” He tried to push at Daven’s chest, but it was like shoving a stone wall.
Daven’s smirk returned. He didn't move his hands from Ryneth's shoulders. “I think you’re the one who didn’t get the memo.”
“Oh, I did. I have a contract waiting for me.” Ryneth gritted his teeth, his pulse thrumming against the skin Daven was pinning down. If he had his multi-slate, he could prove it. “I need to get to work.”
Daven clicked his tongue. “Wrong. Your placement is right here. Under the protection of an Imperial prince. If you’re sweet to me, I’ll pay you far better than any contract job.” He grinned, flashing those horrifying teeth again. “Consider it easier work.”
Ryneth was in trouble. This wasn’t just a man, but a prince.
It didn’t stop him from fighting. The least he could do was try. That was all he’d ever been good at, anyway. “I’m not a pet. I don’t want your credits. I want my freedom back.”
“Your freedom?” Daven shifted his weight, his thigh pressing against Ryneth’s hip.
His hands moved from the harsh grip on Ryneth’s shoulders, sliding down the length of his arms. The pressure lightened, turning into slow, soothing circles around Ryneth’s forearms. Daven’s thumb brushed his wrist, right over the pulsing blue veins. “This is your life now. Say thank you.”
“Thank you?” Ryneth’s hackles rose. The static swelled under his skin, but he still felt weak and breathless. He spat the words anyway. “I say, fuck you.”
He released the crackle, but it was met by a sudden cloud of air. It surrounded the spark and held it.
Ryneth stared with horror. He had never felt a power that could consume his own. “What is that?”
“That’s you misbehaving, Ryneth. Do you remember meeting the Imperial of Helion?”
“Yes? No?” The turning air stung Ryneth’s eyes until a tear slipped down his cheek, but he did remember. Fractured flashes from the ship. Karo’s warning. Lysa’s too.
And now he was here, where he shouldn’t be.
“Well, you did. And after you went back to sleep, he gave you to me.”
Ryneth froze. “I think you’re lying.”
The anger flared, and he lashed out with his other hand, static surging in a violent arc that snapped against the bedframe. He wanted to tear that smirk off the other man’s face.
Daven’s smirk only widened. “You’re delicious when you’re angry, you know that? But keep your energy for better use, such as getting better so you can go home with me.”
“I’m not going home with you.”
Daven just looked at him, still smiling like Ryneth had said something ridiculous. That was even worse.
He opened his mouth to say something, but air wrapped around his throat, tightening just enough to make his breath hitch.
Ryneth jerked back and raised his free hand, but the air only pulled tighter. Daven met him with a force that left him stunned.
What the hell was happening to him?
“Stop it,” he choked out. “Stop, stop, stop.”
He hated the other man. Hated that part of him wanted the pressure back, even though they’d only just met. His body jerked toward the empty air before he could stop it.
“Now, now. That’s not the way to talk to your new friend.” Daven used the weight of his power to press Ryneth’s static back into his skin.
“Friend? You’re not my friend.”
Daven forced Ryneth’s sparks down until they were nothing but a dull ache. He was too strong. Too much. And the air he commanded… What was that? Was he the same as Ryneth? Ryneth could barely breathe around it.
“That’s it,” Daven whispered, his face inches from Ryneth’s.
Ryneth shivered when Daven’s thumbs traced his cheek and smeared the tears on his skin.
“I won’t be yours,” he hissed, though his voice lacked its earlier bite. He felt drained. Aroused. Confused. Scared. And that terrified him more than anything else in the room.
“No, you won’t be,” Daven whispered. “Unless you want to. Think of me as a mentor.” He leaned down until his lips brushed the shell of Ryneth’s ear.
“I will show you the ropes of our planet. Your new home. The Academy. I’ll be the only person who can keep that storm inside you from tearing you apart. ”
“What academy?” Ryneth snapped. “What are you talking about? I told you, I’m just a worker.”
“We both know that isn’t true.”
Ryneth wanted to demand an explanation, but Daven only looked amused, as if not understanding was exactly the point.
“And I told you, aethera, this is your life now.” Daven eased back, the pressure loosening just enough for Ryneth to breathe.
Then his hand moved to the IV line. Long fingers lifted a small vial and clicked it into the port with a quiet snap.
Ryneth stared as clear liquid slid into the tube and disappeared into his vein.
“D-did you just sedate m-me?” Ryneth stammered, his muscles already starting to slacken against the mattress. His head felt heavy, his vision beginning to blur.
Ryneth tried to hold onto the anger, but it was already slipping. His body felt heavier by the second. The air still curled around him, soothing and unyielding at once, holding him in place as the darkness dragged him under.
“Rest.” Daven traced Ryneth’s jaw with a ringed finger. “I’ll be right here when you wake.”
Ryneth had a sick, sinking feeling he was in far more trouble than he’d thought.