4. Vex
CHAPTER 4
VEX
T he dream starts the way they always do when my Xi decides to visit me—with the scent of burnt ozone and the crackle of a dying holoscreen.
Xi’s face flickers into view, her features distorted by static, those bright yellow eyes of hers glowing like twin moons. Her lips move, but her voice skips, fragmented. “Foolish brother…can’t outrun…fate.”
I roll my eyes even in my sleep. “Spare me the cryptic garbage, Xi.”
Her image stabilizes, sharpening into the sister I haven’t seen in ages—dark metallic skin, hair like fine-crafted twined jewelry, and that sunny little smile that makes her look like an eternal child despite being only slightly younger than me and Ryz. “You think your schemes protect you?” She tilts her head, a gesture so achingly familiar it stings. “The human is yours. Your mate. Deny it, and you’ll both ? —”
The dream fractures.
I’m back at the Palace in Ydris, playing in the courtyard. Ryz stands beside me, a young boy, his hand gripping mine. “We’ll always be brothers ,” he whispers. Then he’s gone, replaced by the sneering Royal Commander who says “bastard” like it's my only name.
Xi’s voice booms, final as a death knell. “Pride will drown you, Vex. But she…she is the air.”
I wake drenched in sweat, clawing at the sheets. My heart is racing like I’ve just outrun a Scav bot.
Why does Xi always have to be so dramatic? Would it kill her to just appear as she would on a vid call?
Ugh…I’m sure the empty bottle of Denorian rum on my nightstand that mocks me also has something to do with that. Should’ve known mixing alcohol with the memory of that kiss Lacey planted on my cheek would warp my brain.
Fate? Please. Ryz and Gwen were an accident, not destiny. Coincidence. Same as Iris and Tak.
And me? I’m a pirate. A thrill, a transaction, a… regret, maybe . Not a… mate .
I’ve got a healthy appetite for pleasure, and that’s all the fate I need.
I get up and stalk toward the bridge. Stupid dream.
But then I see her.
Lacey’s curled up on the pilot’s bench, knees to chest, wrapped in that ivory tunic I stole for her. The viewscreen bathes her in dappled light, galaxies swirling beyond the glass like spilled ink and stardust. Her hair’s a mess of dark waves, and she’s gazing out at the sky in awe.
Quorr’s teeth, she’s a beautiful sight.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” I lean against the doorway, arms crossed.
She jumps, then glares. “Ever heard of announcing yourself?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I saunter over, dropping onto the bench. She scoots aside, her eyes dipping to my chest. I neglected to throw on a tunic. Glad I didn’t because I like the way her eyes drift over my bare form. “You have a nightmare or something?”
“ Something is right.” Her eyes snap back up to mine and she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “ Very weird dream. You?”
“Vivid hallucinations. But I blame the rum.”
Her cute nose wrinkles. “You drank alone?”
“Jealous?”
“Concerned.”
It’s been a while since anyone was concerned about me. “Don’t be. I’m?—”
“A pirate. Yes, yes, we’ve established this.” She hugs her knees tighter. “But even pirates need a friend to drink with.”
I bark a laugh. “Friends are just enemies who haven’t stabbed you yet.”
She rolls her eyes. “That’s…tragic.”
“That’s survival.” I stretch my legs, knocking my foot against hers. “What’d you dream about, my dear? Dragons? Unicorns? A dashing pirate sweeping you off your feet?”
She hesitates. “I dreamed someone was…singing. I couldn’t make out the words, but it felt…important.”
My throat tightens. Xi. She must have visited Lacey, too. Xi used to sing to Ryz and I when she was just a little baby Kraetian. Silly songs about the stars, fate, and stolen gods.
“Probably the ship’s engine,” I lie.
“Probably.” She chews her lip. “What about you? Who’s Xi?”
I stiffen. “How do you?—?”
“You muttered her name in your sleep. Twice.”
Of course I did. Vrekking dreams. “She’s my sister. An oracle. And eternally nosy.”
“An oracle?” Her eyes light up. “Like a seer? What did she?—?”
“Nothing.” I snap the word too harshly. Lacey’s flinch is a knife to my gut. “Sorry. She’s…a sore subject.”
Silence stretches, but it’s comfortable for once. A rarity for me.
Then Lacey asks softly: “Tell me something about you, Vex. How about something from your childhood?”
I blink. “What?”
She faces me, knees brushing my thigh. “You’re all deflections and smirks. But I’d like to get to know you.”
Know me? Am I worth knowing ? “Fine. You can have my tragic backstory. My mother was a servant. The Royal Commander at the time, my father , took…liberties. She died bringing me into the world on a promise he would take care of me. Ryz was my best friend until he learned I was his father’s mistake. Then I became his favorite target.” I shrug, like it doesn’t still gouge me. “Stole my first ship at sixteen. Ran away for good. And have been pissing Ryz off ever since.”
Her lashes lower. “Vex, I?—”
“Don’t.” I chuckle bitterly. “Save the pity for someone who cares.”
“It’s not pity.” She grabs my wrist. “It’s anger. You deserved so much better.”
The sincerity in her voice is a live wire. I want to kiss her. And I want to run.
I slide my hand into hers. “Now, you tell me. How is a woman so beautiful, so sweet, and so clever, still…untouched?”
Her cheeks flush. “How do you know I am?”
“Please. Berrix told me you jumped when the sponge squirmed.”
She smacks my arm. “We don’t have moving sponges on Earth!”
I give her a wink. “Okay, a lucky guess then.”
She takes a deep breath, her gaze drifting back to the stars. "I grew up in a very religious household. Strict, traditional. My parents were loving, but they had very specific ideas about how I should live my life. I wasn't allowed to do a lot of things other kids did."
She continues, recounting a life full of rules and missed opportunities—a stark contrast to my reckless, pleasure-seeking lifestyle.
“Anyway. I’m waiting. For… the one. ” She cringes. “Silly, right?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes go wide. “ Vex ? — ”
I grin. “But brave.” I trace a line up her wrist, her forearm, with my fingertips, ending in a gentle tug of her elbow toward me. “Unfortunately, the universe doesn’t reward brave little creatures.”
Her lips part. “Then who does it reward?”
“Pirates who take what they want.”
I lean forward and capture her mouth with mine.
It’s a collision—hungry, desperate, perfect . She gasps and I drown in the taste of her, sweet as stolen nectar. Her hands slide over my chest, my shoulders, pulling me closer, a tiny whimper igniting every nerve. My hand tangles in her hair, angling her head. Her soft, wet tongue is so different from mine as I explore her mouth. She’s all heat and smoothness, while I’m coarse and thick. But I can’t get enough of her and I deepen the kiss until we’re both shaking.
Her nails graze the nape of my neck. “Vex…”
Vrek! I wrench away, chest heaving. “We can’t.”
She blinks, dazed. “Why?”
“Because you’re— quorr , look at you!” I gesture wildly. “You’re…starlight and glitter. And I’m?—”
“A pain in my backside?” She surges forward, catching my lips again, her kiss fiercer this time. Hotter. She nips my lower lip, and I groan, dragging her onto my lap.
“Lacey—”
“ Please ,” she growls against my mouth, as her hips grind down onto my aching erection.
Every coherent thought dissolves.
My hands slide under her tunic, skimming the dip of her waist, the maddening swell of her?—
Clang!
We jerk apart as Faylid stomps onto the bridge, yawning. “Can’t sleep. Gonna polish the canon gear if anyone nee— Oh .” He freezes, four hands flying up. “Uh. Carry on?”
Lacey buries her face in my neck, giggling. I glare at him.
He backpedals. “Yep. Yep, that’s—polishing can wait.”
The second he’s gone, Lacey collapses into laughter.
I study her—lips kiss-swollen, hair wild, eyes brighter than any sun. Xi’s warning echoes in my skull. She is the air.
I stand abruptly, setting her aside. “This was a mistake.”
Confusion flickers in her face. “Why?”
“Because you’ll leave. And I…” Can’t bear it. I scrub a hand over my face. “Go back to bed, Lacey.”
“Vex—” She reaches up to grab my hand and I step away.
“Don’t.” The word’s raw, jagged. “You want a love written in the stars. And it’s not here with me.”
She stares at me, hurt flashing in those jeweled eyes, before squaring her shoulders and standing. “Fine. But just so you know?” She pokes my chest. “You’re a worse liar than you think.”
I watch her storm off, the ghost of her touch branding me.
Fear takes hold.
Because right now, I want nothing more than to be the man she thinks I am.