Although Rylos's home ended up not being far from his brother's, it took me a long time to get there. It'd taken careful examination of my memory to make sure I was heading the right way. Not to mention, I had to avoid being seen by anyone. Because I was certain there was nothing more alarming than a stray human wandering the streets of Korystus. That would get me hauled right back to Solys.

Just because some part of me believed Rylos would help didn't mean I'd gained faith in the Korysti. Just him. I had to have faith in him. He was the only thing I had left to grasp onto. I needed him to be good. I needed him to not know that his brother was a slimy bastard, and to be just as outraged as I was. It was a risky gamble, I knew that, but I couldn't stand living like this anymore. I wanted to trust someone for once. Rylos was my best chance.

And now was the time. The ivory walls of his home were before me. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst. Funny to think that the last time I'd been here, it'd been against my will. And here I was, willingly coming back. It was easily one of the craziest choices I'd made but I couldn't turn back. Not now.

I had to think of good people like Naomi, and the scum like Solys who hurt them. I had to make it stop. I had to make this better. It was the only way I could redeem myself for failing them.

I stepped out of the shadows and approached the gate. The guards outside jolted, eyes widening at the sight of me. They exchanged quick looks, then one approached while the other stayed at the gate.

"What do you think you're doing?" the guard asked in a scolding tone.

I held out the staff in warning.

He took a quick step back, holding out his own staff. "Where did you get that?"

"Let me inside."

He raised an eyebrow, something between a smile and a frown warring in his expression. "You want to go inside?"

I gave him an equally funny look. "Yes . . .?"

"Well, alright then, come inside." He lowered his staff, shot a look at the other guard, then motioned for him to open the gates.

I narrowed my eyes. This seemed far too easy. But I would take it as a win for now. I let the guards lead me inside with the only stipulation being that I got to keep my weapon. They really didn't seem to mind that either. If I didn't know better, I would say they were . . . relieved.

The guards walked me to the front entrance and opened the door for me. There was no arm-grabbing, staff-waving, or dragging. They just let me in. And I didn't think it had anything to do with the weapon I held. I stared at them in confusion as they stood there awkwardly. They did the same right back to me.

"Pleasure doing business with you," I murmured as I stepped inside.

I hadn't made it more than a few steps before I was swamped by two blurred forms flinging their arms around me. A second later, I heard a high-pitched yelp followed by the sound of someone collapsing.

I looked at the person still holding me. It took me a few seconds to realize it was Kastia because she was such a mess. Her hair was unbrushed and her makeup was smeared and worn. She was also staring at the floor. With a gasp, I looked at the staff in my right hand, then at the floor. Solyndi was on the floor, unconscious. Aside from the whole getting zapped thing, she looked just as exhausted as Kastia, messy hair and all.

"What did you do?" Kastia whispered.

"I didn't mean to," I whispered back, my expression screwed up in a grimace. "She'll be okay soon enough. Sorry, Solyndi."

"Why do you even have that thing?"

"I just . . . I've had a long day. No, days. I've had two very long days."

Kastia unwound her arms from me. "It really was Solys, wasn't it?"

I frowned. "What do you mean? Of course it was. That's who Rylos handed me off too. Didn't he tell you?"

"No, no, that's not true at all. You thought . . .?" Her eyes widened as she shook her head wildly from side to side. "He would never."

"But Solys just walked in and out with me. How do you explain that?"

Her expression darkened. "I have my own hypothesis about that one which I plan on telling Rylos the moment he gets home."

I deflated. "He's not here?"

"No, he left a bit ago to go speak with Solys."

"He went to Solys's, did he?" I winced. That was going to make convincing him to help me real easy, wasn't it? I flicked my eyes around the room, quietly wondering if I should just run for it now. Maybe I should've gone with Naomi. She probably had the right idea, no matter how bad it sounded.

Kastia had begun wringing her hands together all of a sudden, tears pooling in her eyes. "It's okay, um, you probably need to clean up and get something to eat first anyway and—"

"Hey, I'm okay," I said, my angry little heart warming slightly.

"Well, yes, I can see that." Kastia inhaled sharply. "It's just—Oh, Marion, I'm so sorry. I'm the one who told Sylos' maid about you."

"I know."

"I swear to you I didn't know he would—Wait, you do?" She tilted her head to the side. "How?"

Solyndi stirred on the floor and lifted her head just enough to shoot her a glare. "Because you're transparent, Kastia, and we all know you're a gossip."

Kastia looked down. "I just like to chat and I get a little carried away."

I touched a hand to her shoulder. When she looked up, I offered her a smile. "I don't blame you. And something good came out of it anyway."

"How so? I know Solys is rotten, his maids have told me. He couldn't have been very nice." Kastia bent down to help Solyndi get up and I did the same.

I let out a short laugh. "Oh, no, Solys is definitely raska."

Kastia inhaled sharply, her eyes widening. "Solyndi, do you see what your filthy mouth has done?"

"What? Helped her sound like a real Korysti?" Solyndi gave me a wry look. "You owe me a human curse word now, you know that?"

"I'll teach you all of them later, I promise." My smile fell.

Why am I making promises like that? This isn't my home. Yet coming back here was like slipping into something familiar. I hadn't even questioned whether I'd be staying. Not just that. I wanted to stay.

When I told Naomi the forest would be dangerous, I hadn't been lying, yet I realized now that I hadn't even wanted to try. Kastia and Solyndi were the closest I'd had to friends in a year. And Rylos, despite his brother, was someone that I could see myself liking.

These three people might be Korysti, which a matter of weeks ago I had sworn were the cruelest beings in the universe, but they were good. Or they wanted to be. Which is why I hoped instead of fighting with Rylos, he could help me. We could find Naomi to begin with, then go from there.

I let Kastia and Solyndi fuss over me for a little while, mostly because it seemed to make Kastia feel better. Once I was bathed, clothed, and stuffed full of far too much sweet food, I retreated to my room. The silence and the light blue walls put whatever lingering worries I had at ease.

Rylos hadn't given me away to his brother. I resisted the urge to frown as I touched my wrist, thoughts about that bracelet intruding on my hard-earned peace. Why else would he have taken it off right after my terrible attempt at escaping?

I shook my head. I was certain he had his reason and, honestly, I just wanted to trust people again. I was so tired of watching my back and just . . . tired in general.

I was about to get into bed when I noticed a strange light to the right of the room. The door between my room and Rylos was wide open. I padded over and peered inside.

"Rylos?" I called out. Looking inside, however, I could see that it was empty. I stood in the doorway and faced my room.

He would've had a perfect view of my bed from his, I realized. Had he just been watching and waiting for me to return? His room was much messier than before. His bed was rumpled and clothes were strewn across his floor.

On his bed was the ridiculous scrap of fabric that barely covered his lower half. His work clothes. I couldn't help but smile as I reached out to touch the silky, iridescent fabric. Although it wavered as I thought of that day, when he had brought me with him to that meeting. The memorial. My heart sank.

Naomi might've eased up on me after our escape, but she echoed my thoughts when she said that I could've done more. That I was responsible. Sure, there were others in the engine room that day. All of us were. But I was the one who always kept her running and everyone put their faith in me.

There was nothing I could do now except try to make this better. For everyone. No small task when I'd been demoted to pet status. With a sigh, I got in Rylos's bed and curled up against his sweet-smelling pillow, the smooth fabric still clutched in one hand.

I'd only intended to rest my heavy eyes for a moment but I awoke sometime later with a jolt as fingers brushed my cheek. Rylos was standing at the edge of the bed, eyes bright in the dim light. He looked as relieved as he did sad.

"I would never give you to him, or anyone else, I promise you," he said, his voice so soft he almost sounded . . . afraid. Of me? Why? "I'm sorry for whatever he did to you. I won't let him get away with it. I swear it."

"I want to believe you, but . . ." My voice was groggy with sleep. I slowly sat up, giving my thoughts time to form before I continued. "You took the bracelet off, Rylos. If you had left it on, he never would've been able to—"

"It wasn't real, Marion."

"What do you mean?" I asked, despite the sinking realization that left a pit in my stomach. The bracelet had been just that. Jewelry. Nothing more. All that time I wasted when I had every chance to escape. Could I have really been so stupid? So complacent? Maybe he was too cunning for me.

"From the beginning, I told my guards that they weren't to stop you if you tried to leave." He looked down, shaking his head. "Something in me knew that it wasn't right to force you to stay. I just thought you'd be safer with me."

I nodded slowly. "So you lied to me. You let me think I was in a hopeless situation. Never mind how much that screwed with my head, did you really think there was no other option?"

"I didn't know what to expect, or how to handle you. I'd avoided humans for so long." Rylos sat on the bed beside me, hands clasped between his legs as he hunched over, staring at the ground. "But I had good intentions from the start. Things became . . . difficult, however. I wasn't sure how I felt about you, pet. I couldn't keep my head straight from one moment to the next when you were around."

I opened my mouth, ready to be furious at him for calling me his pet again, but I stopped myself. There was something tender in his tone that gave me pause. I rubbed at my forehead and sighed. Why was this so difficult for me? Why wasn't I just walking out the door right then? Why did I even want to talk it out with him? There were so many reasons, I realized. Because I needed his help to find Naomi. Because he was my only shot at helping anyone else.

Because I didn't want to leave him.

I really didn't.

"I've been just as confused," I confessed. "I've had my own personal war with the Korysti for a year. And yet, I was kissing you within a day and I just don't . . . I don't understand."

"That feeling sounds familiar."

"What's wrong with us?"

"Who knows?"

Silence drifted between us for a moment.

"Why have you avoided humans for so long?" I asked. "You seem like the only Korysti who can actually see how wrong this is. So why not do something before they tried to—"

Kill me. I didn't want to say the words this time. I'd been so vicious about it before. Like it was his fault. But it wasn't. Not really. He'd saved me from that fate.

"Don't give me too much credit. I saw you, Marion. And you made me realize I was in denial." He looked up just long enough to give me a rueful smile. "Because I didn't want to admit to myself that my people—that I could be as cruel as you thought us to be. It was easier to tell myself you were primitive, distrustful, and ungrateful. But you made me see."

"It's a shame your non-primitive technology doesn't help when it comes to the callous indifference and self-absorption you Korysti seem plagued with."

Rylos lifted his eyes to mine, cautious amusement in his expression. "You're not the only species to have formed that opinion about us. We get respect because we deal in information and technology, something everyone wants, but I get the sense that's the only reason."

"Why not change?" I asked, as if that were an easy question to answer, or even an easy thing to do. But they'd had a year to come around treating us right, and they hadn't. So it didn't feel that unfair to ask.

"Haven't I, pet?" He touched a hand to my cheek. "Would you have come back if I hadn't?"

My breath hitched. He knew. That some hopeful part of me wanted to trust him. That I wanted him. My pulse raced, making my nerves jitter.

"You're never going to stop calling me that, are you?" I asked as I eased into his touch, pressing my cheek against his palm.

"If you truly wanted me to, I would." Rylos inched closer, his hand sliding from my cheek to dip to the back of my neck. "For better or worse, I've never been your master, Marion. You've owned me from the moment I first laid eyes on you." He leaned in close and brushed his lips over mine. His voice trembled with restraint as he said, "Tell me you don't like it. Tell me to stop, pet. You know I will. But until you do—"

"Don't stop," I whispered, lifting my eyes to his. "I want this, Rylos. I want you."

It was as if those words cut the tether holding him back. His lips crashed against mine, desire unmasked and unrestrained. He tore at my clothes, exposing my skin to the cool air.

He pulled his lips from mine and looked at me. Just looked. Yet it was the sexiest thing I'd ever experienced. The way his eyes swept over my body—following them, I could recognize my own outline just with the movement of his eyes. He let out an appreciative groan, low in his throat, then swept me up into his arms and brought me to the bed.

Rylos sank down with me, his hard body pressed against mine. I wound my arms and legs around him, needing him as close as possible. I hadn't even realized how badly I'd wanted him until this moment. Or maybe I had. Everything had happened so fast, yet I almost felt like I had to make up for lost time. Because I'd wanted him since I first laid eyes on him too. Even if everything inside me had been screaming to mask the way I felt. I didn't care if it was wrong. I wanted to be with Rylos.

I liked the way he made me feel. I liked that he kissed me in a way that made me feel more wanted than ever before. Each time his lips met mine, his kiss was deeper and hungrier, as if he couldn't be sated.

I pressed my fingertips into his back as he trailed his lips down from my jaw to the swell of my breasts. I touched a hand to the back of his head and pressed down lightly, biting my lip as he lavished my chest with his lips and tongue. He slid a hand down between my thighs and groaned the moment he touched me, his hard length twitching against my stomach.

"You're perfect," he said against my skin, his cool breath making me shiver.

As Rylos began to explore my center with exploring strokes of his fingers, he brought his lips back to mine. Our kiss was long and slow, reflecting his teasing touch. I knotted my fingers in his hair, moaning softly against his lips as he drove me toward the edge with a deliberate slowness that left me writhing against the bed.

On any other day, I'd be happy to let him slowly drive me insane. But I felt as if I'd already waited an eternity to be with him. I wanted him now. I moved my hands to his shoulders, hooked a leg tighter around him, and flipped him over on the bed. As I straddled his chest, he looked up at me with a raised brow. "You're impatient, pet."

"You've been toying with me since day one. Are you really that surprised?" I gave him a sly smile. "You reap what you sow, Rylos."

"I didn't realize I had such an effect."

"Liar," I murmured as I bent down to press a hard kiss to his lips. He responded by gripping my hips and pushing me down so that he was pressed hard against my aching core. I reached between us and took him in my hand. I rose up and sank down, breathing in sharply as he filled me. The pads of his fingers dug into my hips. Our kiss broke as his head fell back against the pillow and he arched up from the bed, driving himself deeper.

I leaned forward to press my chest against his, savoring the feeling of his smooth skin. We built to a steady rhythm, him thrusting up in time to meet each roll of my hips. His hands roamed over the contours of my body and up to my chest, skimming his fingers over my breasts, then dipped down between us where he touched me with deliberate strokes.

"You feel so good," I murmured, letting my hands explore the hard lines of his body as I rocked against him. He was so perfect, so beautiful. I never stood a chance, did I? Not against him. Not now, not ever. And I liked it that way.

I'd never felt anything like this before. Never had I so savored the way a man made me feel. Not a man—Korysti. I never wanted it to end, evident by the gasps and moans that fell from my lips as I rode him. I was close, so close.

As if he knew, Rylos hooked an arm behind my back and sat up, bringing his chest close to mine. He grabbed my sides and ground me down against him, relentlessly urging me toward my peak. I let my head fall back with a moan. He slid a hand into my hair and brought me back up, eyes locked onto mine.

"I want to watch you, pet," he said, voice hoarse.

I was already close, but the sheer need in his voice could've brought me over the edge from anywhere. My eyes fluttered shut as the heat building in my core flooded through me, my body rolling with each wave. Rylos held me down against him with an appreciative groan, thrusting hard to meet each jerk of my body.

With a deep, final thrust, Rylos's fingers bit into my thighs as he came inside me with a low-pitched moan. He buried his head in the crook of my neck as his body jerked with the remnants of his climax. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close. My body was abuzz, agonizingly aware of everywhere he touched me, yet I still wanted more.

"Rylos," I whispered.

He lifted his head, glowing eyes hazy and lips parted, in a daze. He bit down on his lower lip and brushed away a hair clinging to my forehead. He tilted his head to the side questioningly, as if he'd forgotten how to form words.

I smiled softly and cupped his cheeks in my hands as he had done to me so many times before, then leaned forward and brushed my lips over his. Just before I took his lips in a kiss, I tightened my legs around his back and whispered, "Never stop."

Rylos came alive in an instant, hardening inside me and letting out a low growl as he flipped me onto my back. Everywhere was so sensitive every touch was like a little electric shock, jolting under my skin and driving me wild. Each kiss and touch was more frantic than the last, our moans were the only sound filling the air as we insatiably devoured each other until early in the morning.