Into the Still Blue (19 page)

With only his face in sight, she could almost imagine he wasn’t hurt. That they weren’t imprisoned here. She could almost put herself back to when they’d traveled to Bliss in search of her mother.

They’d spent their nights this way, close, trading hours of sleep in favor of talking and kissing. Sacrificing the rest they needed for just another minute together.

Her eyes began to blur. She didn’t know how to handle this.

Perry spoke first. “I don’t want you to see me this way. . . . Can you pull the sheet up?”

She reached for it. Her hand settled on his ribs instead. He tensed beneath her fingers, but it couldn’t have been from pain; she was barely touching him.

“I can’t,” she said.

“You can. I know that’s your healthy hand.”

“I don’t want to.”

“This is hurting you. I know it is.”

He was right, she was in agony, but she wouldn’t let him endure this by himself.

“I can’t because I don’t want you to hide from me.”

He pressed his lips together, the muscles in his jaw flexing.

Shame. That’s what she saw in the shadows in his eyes. In the tears that pooled there.

He closed them. “You’re so stubborn.”

“I know.”

He fell quiet. Too quiet, she realized, as the seconds passed. He was holding his breath.

“It wasn’t a fair fight,” he said. “Otherwise I would have won.”

“I know,” she said.

“You know a lot.”

He was struggling to make light of this. But how could he? She moved her hand over the ridges of his ribs. Beautiful skin, marred by bruises.

“I don’t know enough. I don’t know how to make this better.” Anger swelled inside her, the pressure increasing in her chest. In her heart. It mounted with every bruise she drifted over. “Only a monster could do this.”

Perry’s eyes fluttered open. “Don’t think about him.”

“How can I not? How can
you
not?”

“You’re here. I only want to think about you right now.”

Aria bit back the words she wanted to speak.
Tell me you’re furious
. She wanted to hear him rage. She wanted to see a hint of the fire that always seemed to burn inside him. After this—after what he’d been through—would he ever be the same?

“I keep thinking about us,” he said. “How we were at Marron’s and afterward, when it was just the two of us. It was so good being with you.” He licked his lips. “When we get out of this, let’s go somewhere again. Me and you.”

The tension in her chest loosened, relief washing over her. He’d said
when
. Even in his beaten condition, he believed in
when
s and not
if
s. She never should have doubted his strength.

“Where do you want to go?” she asked.

His smile was faint and lopsided. “Doesn’t matter . . . I just want to spend time alone with you.”

Aria wanted exactly the same thing. And she ached to see him smile—
really
smile—so she said, “And this isn’t good enough for you?”

24

Y
ou’re cruel to make me laugh right now,” Perry said, trying to keep as still as possible. Any sharp movement and his ribs felt like they’d crack.

“Sorry,” Aria said. She was smiling, her lower lip trapped between her teeth.

“Yeah . . . you look sorry.”

He couldn’t believe she was here. She had no idea what her scent alone was doing to bring him back. He’d retreated deep into his mind since Sable left. Perry wasn’t sure if it was his own doing, or if he’d been slipping into unconsciousness, but it didn’t matter. Being alert only meant pain—until she’d appeared.

“You know I’ll go anywhere with you, Perry.” Aria said. Her attention dropped to his mouth, her scent growing warmer, sweeter.

He knew what she wanted, but he hesitated. Lying there stock-still was almost more than he could handle, and he knew he looked pitiful, black and blue and swollen.

“I want to kiss you,” he said. Forget pride. He wanted her too much. “Can I?”

She nodded. “You don’t ever have to ask me that again. I’ll always say yes.”

Her weight settled lightly onto his ribs as they leaned toward each other. He expected her mouth to match the gentleness of her hands, but her tongue thrust cool and sweet between his lips, demanding as it moved over his.

His heart gave a kick in his chest, his pulse suddenly pounding. He moved without thinking, taking her face in his hands.

Pain blazed through his limbs, and he must have made some kind of sound, because Aria tensed and jerked back.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “Should we stop?”

“No,” he said hoarsely. “We should not.”

Their lips found each other again, every rational thought vanishing from his mind. He couldn’t see or feel anything beyond her. He was focused completely, wholly, on
more
.

More of her body. Her mouth. Her taste.

Aria held back, careful not to lean against him, when all he wanted was to feel her against him. He ran his hand down her thigh and pulled her leg over his hip, drawing her closer. Aches flared across his legs and arms, but his desire went much deeper. She was all lean muscles and soft curves beneath his hands, skin as soft as her hair. The snug Guardian flight suit covered her from wrist to neck—a brutally unfair barrier. He slipped his hand beneath her shirt, nearly undone by the way she arched into him.

“Perry,” Aria said, her breath warm on his cheek.

He made a sound that he hoped passed for
yes
.

“Something’s going on between Hess and Sable.”

He froze.

“Are you all right?” She drew back, concern in her eyes.

He let out a breath, struggling to recover the power to think. “Yeah . . . I didn’t, um . . . I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“I wish I didn’t have to, but Loran’s coming back. He’ll be here any moment, and we should talk about this while we can.”

“Right . . . we should.” He pulled the hem of her shirt down and concentrated on Hess. Sable and Hess. “I noticed the same thing earlier. Hess is scared out of his mind. I scented it. Sable has him by the throat.”

Aria bit her bottom lip, her eyes losing their focus. “I thought Hess would have the upper hand, since he has all the resources. All the ships and weapons. Food and medicine, too. It all came from Reverie. It’s all his.”

“None of that matters anymore, Aria. He’s in our territory now. Out here he lives by our rules, and he knows that. Maybe he was different before he came out here—”

“No,” she said. “He wasn’t. He’s always been a coward. When he threw me out of Reverie, he had Guardians do it. He had me spy for him. I was the one who set up his connection with Sable. And when he abandoned Reverie, he just walked out and left all those people. If there’s any danger or conflict, he runs as far in the other direction as he can.” She looked at Perry’s arms. “He never would have done this.”

Perry’s mind returned to that room, seeing the concentration—the care—with which Sable beat him. Obviously, Sable didn’t mind violence, or taking matters into his own hands.

He had fallen silent for a few seconds, remembering. Now he jolted back to the present and found Aria staring into his eyes, her temper filling with rage.

“I’m going to kill him for this,” she said.

“No. Stay away from him, Aria. Find a way to get us out of here. Use Hess. If he likes to run from problems, let’s give him somewhere to go. Another option. But promise me you’ll stay away from Sable.”

“Perry, no.”

“Aria,
yes
.” Didn’t she understand? He could endure anything—except losing her.

“What if Roar was right?” she said, her eyebrows drawing together. “What if Sable is a problem until we do something? Until we stop him?”

He wanted to tell her
I will
. He’d handle Sable. But he couldn’t say it. Not half-naked, blue and beaten. When he vowed to take Sable’s head off, he wanted to be on his feet.

She shot away from him, her feet landing on the floor with a quiet thump. Half a second later, the door opened.

The soldier, Loran, stood at the threshold. “Time’s up,” he said to Aria.

She moved immediately. Pausing at the door, she glanced back at Perry and put a hand to her heart.

Then she stepped out, and he numbed himself again. Shutting out the pain in his muscles. Ignoring the intense ache he always felt without her.

Loran lingered a second longer, sending Perry a cutting glance before he followed.

Perry stared at the door for long minutes after they’d gone, breathing in the residual scents in the small room. Noticing how strange the soldier’s temper was, dense and heavy. A brick wall of protection. Stranger still was the glimmer of warmth behind it.

Carefully, muscles quivering, Perry rolled onto his back, absolutely certain.

Loran was more than a soldier. He wondered if Aria knew.

25

I
thought you were going to talk to him,” Loran said in hushed tones as he escorted her back through the Komodo’s corridors.

“We did talk,” she said.

It had taken all her willpower to leave Perry in that room. Even now, she wanted to turn back, but something stopped her. A nagging feeling about the man walking three paces behind her.

“That looked like more than talking.”

Aria spun, facing him. “Why do you care?”

Loran stopped short. He frowned, opening his mouth to speak, then seemed to reconsider.

“Why did you take me to see him?” she pressed. “Why did you help me?”

He looked down his slender nose at her, his lips pressed tight, like he was trying to keep himself from speaking. She was desperate to understand why he’d taken a risk for her. Why he seemed so intent whenever he was looking at her. Why his dark gray eyes seemed so achingly familiar.

He had a deep musical baritone—a beautiful voice.

And he was old enough—

He was old enough—

She couldn’t even let herself think it.

His head whipped to the side. Aria heard Kirra’s voice, her sultry purr grating and unmistakable. Was she always roaming these halls?

Loran grabbed her arm and pulled her down the corridor. He stopped before a door and pressed at a keypad, yanking her inside as it opened.