After the meeting with Queen Brisha, Pandora returned to escort me to the chambers that had been arranged for Navan and me. They were situated at the top of the third tower of the palace, overlooking the glistening city below. The room was plush and elegant, with red velvet chairs and a brocade chaise longue in front of a roaring fire. To one side, there was a four-poster with gauzy, golden fabric hanging down and shrouding the comfy-looking bed. To the other, there was a small kitchenette, which had been fully stocked with vials as well as food I could eat. There were fruits and vegetables of various forms, and hopefully none would kill me.

I supposed it was the queen’s way of welcoming us to the North. Lying down on the bed, I was glad of the soft mattress beneath me sapping away the aches and pains of the last few days.

It appeared to be the only plus side of Queen Brisha’s arrangement. At least here, Navan and I didn’t have to hide our relationship. She knew about it and didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she seemed intrigued by the forbidden nature of our love.

Navan arrived about half an hour later, just as I was drifting off to sleep, comforted by the roaring flames and the soft bedding. His entrance stirred me, and I sat up, taking in the sight of his bandaged arm. At least he wasn’t bleeding anymore, and there was a delirious, playful quality to his face—which I guessed had something to do with Vysanthean painkillers.

“Navan, how are you feeling?” I asked, getting up to go over to him.

“Fine,” he replied with a crooked smile.

“They give you something for the pain?” I teased, though my heart wasn’t in it. My mind was elsewhere, thinking about what I had done and how Navan was going to react. I could still feel the sharp sting of the needle where it had pricked my neck.

“Oh yes. They gave me soren root,” he explained, as if that was supposed to mean something to me.

“What’s that?”

“Painkiller. Think they might have given me a bit too much.” A goofy laugh bubbled up from his throat, forcing a genuine smile to my lips. Taking his hand, I led him over to the couch and sat him down, feeling regretful that I would have to burst his happy bubble with my news. Before I could speak, however, he cut in. “I’ve spoken with Bashrik,” he said, a deranged smile on his lips as his eyes struggled to focus.

I frowned in surprise. “Already?”

“Why yes.” He nodded. “I had some time in the infirmary, thought I’d put it to good use. That brawny woman gave me her comm device.” He started absently picking at the edges of his bandages, and I reached out to remove his hand, keeping it firmly in mine to prevent him from unraveling the whole thing. I presumed by “brawny woman” he meant Pandora.

“What did Bashrik say?” I asked in disbelief. Everything was happening so fast.

“Says he’s on his way.” Navan sighed, collapsing back into the comfortable cushions of the loveseat.

My eyes bugged. “He’s on his way?! How… How can he be on his way?”

“He and Ronad managed to intercept a rebel coldblood ship. Won’t be long until old Bashie gets here to build a big lab that will ruin everything.” Another stupid laugh pealed from his throat.

“What about the others?” I asked, gripping his shoulders and trying to shake some sense into him.

“Ronad’s staying on Earth. He’s no longer a coldblood, remember? Can’t have him coming to Vysanthe—a coldblood with no wings, imagine that!” He heaved a sigh. “Wish I was back there with him. I like Earth.”

“What about Angie and Lauren?” I pressed, feeling a twist of guilt in my stomach. I’d left them to cover for me, and I couldn’t help feeling like I’d abandoned them. I couldn’t even begin to explain how much I missed them. I just wanted to see their faces again, even for a moment, to get a grip on reality again. Being here, it was easy to think I might never return home—especially now, under the watchful eye of Queen Brisha.

“Didn’t say.” Navan shrugged. “But you know what else I like?” he added softly, his gaze filling with such adoration I thought my heart might melt.

“What?” I murmured.

“You,” he announced, sitting up to take me in his arms. He was smiling, his hands reaching up to cup my face, before his lips grazed mine. His mouth tasted oddly metallic, with a hint of sweetness—the soren root, I guessed, praying the trace wouldn’t affect me too. Not wanting to get too carried away, especially given what I had to tell him, I pulled away slowly, keeping my arms around his neck. “Hey, come back,” he said, chuckling as he tried to lean in to kiss me once more.

Gently, I pushed his shoulders back. I had to get my news out of the way.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” I said. Now was probably a better time than ever, with him in his slightly muddled state—hopefully it would soften the blow.

“Is it how much you want to use those herbs on the bedside table and let me have my wicked way with you? I can work around this,” he chuckled, nodding toward his strapped arm as he stroked my cheek with the thumb of his good hand.

I frowned. “Herbs?”

He nodded. “Spotted them as soon as I walked in. Queen Brisha must have left them for us, the little minx. They’ll keep us safe if we decide to… you know.” He winked, though the soren root had addled his coordination, causing both eyelids to flicker at once. I stifled a laugh, flushing.

I glanced toward the bedside table and saw a crystal bowl filled to the brim with the herbs he was speaking about. I blushed harder. I’d thought they were some sort of Vysanthean potpourri, not a coldblood contraceptive. But now wasn’t the time. Aside from the fact that I had grave news to deliver, I didn’t want our first time to be while Navan was under the influence of painkillers—I had no idea if he’d even remember it.

Holding back Navan’s advances once more, I shook my head. “No, it has to do with what Queen Brisha and I discussed while you were at the infirmary… Navan, I did something bad.” I lifted his chin so he was forced to look directly at me. For a moment, his woozy façade faded, his eyes coming into focus, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“What… What happened?”

“I gave her my blood,” I said quietly, the words stinging as I uttered them aloud. “She knew about the pod and its contents, but Jethro wouldn’t tell her where it came from. The only problem is, the pod has gone missing somewhere near the Ferrite System, and she wanted to know what I knew about it. I couldn’t lie to her, not if we wanted to gain her trust. So I offered her something I knew would prove our loyalty—a sample of my blood to make up for the one that never arrived.” I pulled down the neck of my shirt to show him the needle mark in my flesh.

For a long time, he said nothing. However, I could see from his expression that the effects of the soren root had all but disappeared in the face of my news. It would have sobered up an alcoholic on a three-day binge.

“Can you say something, Navan?” I muttered, squeezing his good hand in mine.

“I just… I… can’t believe you did that,” he whispered, his brow knotted in a disturbed frown. “I understand she backed you into a corner, but… what’s the point of any of this, if you’ve just gone and given them what they want? What was the point in me trying to keep Earth safe, if you’ve handed it to them on a silver platter? She won’t stop at one meager sample, Riley. Once she finds out it works, she’ll want more, and she’ll torture you until she gets the answer she’s after!”

I sighed, knowing this reaction was inevitable. “I would rather give her some of my blood now, than give away Earth’s location. Those were my two options, Navan. When she wants more, then… I’ll just have to deal with that when the time comes.” I noticed I didn’t say “if”, because the thing was, I knew Navan was right. One sample wouldn’t satisfy Queen Brisha, not if the synthesized blood worked in completing the immortality elixir’s full potential.

He swallowed hard, then went silent for another minute. “You bought yourself and your planet a bit of time… nothing more,” he said finally, frustration drawing deep lines in his forehead. “As for the missing pod, let’s just hope it’s fallen into the hands of someone who doesn’t know what they’ve got. We could do with a break, right about now,” he added sourly.

“I’m sorry, Navan,” I muttered. “If I’d seen any other way, I would have taken it.” I could see he was angry—not at me, but at the situation—though there wasn’t a lot more I could say.

“I’m going to bed. This has been one hell of a day,” he grumbled, getting up off the seat and moving over to the bed. He lay down on the left side, his back facing what would be my side of the bed.

I followed a short while after, curling up into a fetal position next to him, though I didn’t try to snuggle. I’d just dropped a bombshell on him, and he needed time and space to process it.

I turned my back on him and faced the opposite wall, my eyes falling on the bowl of special herbs by my bedside. I sighed and shut my eyes, trying to force my thoughts elsewhere, until finally sleep claimed me, bringing with it dreams of tangled limbs and missed opportunity.