Chapter 18 · Every Dax Who Obeyed

"Don't let go, Mara. Don't you fucking let go."

Dax's hand locked around my wrist. Bone on bone. The deck dropped out from under us and alarms ripped through the hull.

"I'm not letting go! You're crushing me!"

"Good. Stay crushed." He slammed the yoke forward with his free hand. "Hold that crystal steady or we lose him!"

The crystal in my palm was burning. Leo's voice cut in and out. Thin. Scared.

"Mara? Mara, can you hear me? It's cold. The walls are moving."

"Leo! I'm here! Keep talking, okay? Keep talking to me!" I pressed the crystal to my chest. Heat seared right through my jacket.

Dax yanked us hard starboard. A hunter round skimmed the hull and the whole ship rang like a bell. Sparks rained from the ceiling.

"We're not making that gap," he snapped. "Vault's at ninety percent closed."

"So ram it! You said this thing has shields!"

"It had shields. You flipped them inside-out to kill those drones, remember?"

"Then un-flip them!"

"I can't un-flip physics while you're yelling at me!" He turned his head. Eyes wild. Breath hot on my face. Knee to knee in the cockpit, his chest heaving against my shoulder.