Chapter Twenty-Three

Ari shifted in place beside the door, trying to keep his broken cuffs balanced around his wrists, small blade clutched in his clammy fist.

Orin stood in front of the doorway, head down and knees bent like a bull about to charge.

Ari’s chest clenched painfully as the small grid on the top of the door slid open, revealing just a hint of glow from the raider’s bizarre teeth.

“Got a buyer already.” Glowing Teeth sounded upbeat, almost chipper. “You’re lucky Park’s crew was in the market for some muscle as well as a Doll for his house. Sounds like you’ll be kept together a little while longer, lovebirds.”

He opened the door noisily, a small bolt shimmying free from the scarred surface and bouncing on the floor with a metallic ping. The odd conical barrel of his pistol entered the room before he did, wavering for a moment before settling on pointing at Ari, the raider’s smug grin glowing Orin’s way.

Orin’s jaw clenched, acid glare burning into the raider’s skull.

Glowing Teeth stepped inside the room to reveal another man waiting silently in the doorway.

The man looked dangerous, dark eyes hard and flat in his rawboned face, black ink climbing over his skin out of every edge of his clothing like smoke escaping. Up his neck and down over his hands, strange patterns of intersecting parallel lines with small circles and hexagons and— And Hangul. There. Across his knuckles where he held a charged laser pistol at the ready.

Ari sucked in a breath so sharp he choked, coughing violently, grip tightening around the little blade in his hands as he stared up at his brother’s abductor.

It made a horrific sort of sense now. Hearing all of this talk of Ari’s value as a Core-born Doll, whatever that meant. Theo must be equally valued, and it appeared this Park was a slave trader, the lowest form of scum in the dark.

Ari could only hope Theo was still aboard his ship when Ari and Orin were brought on.

Orin planted his feet, muscles tight with determination. Ari shook his head frantically, wishing he could tell Orin what he had discovered. Orin’s face creased in confusion, but his stance relaxed somewhat, assuring Ari he was no longer preparing to charge.

Ari needed this man to lead him to Theo. This was his best chance, falling into his lap like serendipity holding a laser pistol to his head.

Park was arguing with Glowing Teeth now, deep voice spitting angry words in some language Ari had never heard before. Glowing Teeth shoved against his chest, but the man didn’t move an inch.

Park stepped back before calmly administering a swift kick to Glowing Teeth’s chest, sending the man scraping across the floor with a shout, wires ripping out of his arms and legs in a shower of sparks and fluids.

Park spat out another string of words in that language before Glowing Teeth held up a hand, scowling at his loose wires peevishly.

“Alright, alright. Like I give a shit as long as I get paid. You gotta load them up though, I’m not touching that huge Verge fucker again; he weighs a metric assload.”

Park turned directly to Ari then, something unreadable flickering in his hooded eyes. “Come with me. Both of you. Now.”

Ari followed him out, Orin right at his heels, already glaring daggers at Park’s back. If only they had a moment to themselves so Ari could explain what he had just discovered about their new captor.

Nausea rolled in his stomach, a terrible chemical reaction of excitement at the possibility of being reunited with Theo and absolute dread at the possibility he could already be gone. Sold off wherever this evil man did such despicable business.

They followed him out onto a small ship, only slightly bigger than Delilah but significantly older, exterior dented and scraped down into a rough patchwork made up of countless layers of paint and rust.

Park gestured to an emergency seat bolted into the dingy wall. “You, redhead, sit down and buckle up.” His gaze slid to Orin disdainfully. “Verge trash can sit on the floor.”

The doors shut behind him with a loud shriek of scraping metal as he left them there, engines thrumming underfoot.

Ari sat on the chair, buckling in as Orin sank onto the floor at his feet, shoulder pressed to the outside of Ari’s thigh.

Ari pulled a hand out of his cuffs, reached down to run his fingers through Orin’s hair, then held his head still as he leaned in as though to give him a kiss. Instead, he whispered urgently against Orin’s mouth, “This is the man I’ve been searching for, this Park. This is the man who took Theo; I’m certain of it.”

Orin sucked in a harsh breath, the rough scrape of scabbed-over lips pressing to Ari’s as he said in a quiet rumble, “So we’re just biding our time to see if he leads us to your brother?”

“Precisely.” Ari sat back up but left his hand to card through Orin’s hair. He braced him against his leg as the ship took off with a terrifying wobble and headed jerkily away from the raider ship.

Orin barked out a harsh laugh, scorn dripping from every word. “This asshole can’t even fly. We’re pulling to the aft from some piece of junk he’s hauling, and he’s not even correcting for it. Idiot probably couldn’t fly a paper plane on a rusted stick.”

Ari gave a tiny smile at Orin’s outrage, petting his poor, stiff shoulders as his mind reeled with the possibilities. Scenarios ran through his head one after another, ranging from the terrible to the sublime, layering over one another into a tangled mess.

There was a very good chance Theo wasn’t even being held by this man any longer. That he had been sent away somewhere Ari might not be able to follow. The thought tasted like ashes.

And here Ari was, leading Orin further into trouble for his own selfish reasons. Without Ari, Orin could probably escape, get back to his life as it was before Ari came crashing in with his half-baked plans and naive suppositions.

If Ari were a better man, he would tell him to go, leave Ari behind.

But without the ship, Ari had nothing of significant value with which to pay him what he was owed. Ari was not in the habit of accumulating debt. Orin deserved so much better.

If only Theo were here. Decisive, impulsive Theo. Theo didn’t believe in hesitation or regret. Theo would rather set a course blindly and charge forward than ever sit and agonize over his options, like Ari was now.

Useless, timid Ari. What was he going to do if he didn’t find Theo wherever this Park scoundrel was taking them? How was he ever going to find him if this last, all-important lead brought them to a dead end?

Orin shifted beside him, scanning the room slowly and methodically, like he was making a map in his head. He had spent hours now, bound in those uncomfortable cuffs, not a complaint to be heard. He deserved better than the faltering mess Ari was rapidly spiraling into.

Ari closed his eyes, pulled something out from the ever-deepening well within himself, something resolute, adding starch to his spine until he sat up as straight as perfect collar points.

He would be strong, for Orin, and brave, for Theo. For as long as it was required of him. He could do no less. It was the very least they deserved.

They deserved far more than he could give, the both of them, but unfortunately all they had was Ari, so he resolved to make the best of himself.

There were minerals, after all, which had the ability to change under pressure. Develop new traits—greater strength, hardness, durability. Ari would take his inspiration from them.

He would not crumble under pressure.

Their docking was not quite as smooth as their takeoff. Which was to say, it was absolutely abysmal. The ship shook and wobbled, veering wildly off to one side as they docked, the shrill scrape of metal on metal all around them.

Orin offered a running commentary of events in a biting tone Ari had never heard him use before.

“Coming in too fast, idiot’s gonna. Yep. Busted up his own loading dock. Oughta paint a target on it, if this is how he’s gonna fly. I bet this fool couldn’t hit the floor falling out of bed. Now he’s overcorrected, and we’re gonna. Yep. Bottom out and dust the floor with metal shavings. No wonder his rusted ship looks like somebody took a bite out of it. Miracle we made it in one piece, with him flying.”

Ari stifled a giggle at Orin’s indignation, and Orin glanced up with a tilt of his lips that let Ari know he was doing it on purpose. Exaggerating his outrage to get Ari’s mind off their troubles for a brief moment.

Ari hadn’t known it was possible to love somebody so much, so quickly. And yet the evidence was incontrovertible, thumping right there in Ari’s chest.

Somehow, miraculously, answered in those honey eyes.

The door to the cockpit opened with a reluctant squeal, stifling every last drop of laughter left in Ari’s throat as he quickly tucked his wrists back into his cuffs, shifting them to appear as intact as possible.

Park stepped out of the cockpit, sharp gaze falling immediately to Ari’s broken cuffs. Orin stiffened at his side, then pushed to his feet, his own cuffs groaning in protest.

Ari held his breath, clutching his little blade.

Park stared Ari down, one dark eyebrow lifting incrementally. “You can take those off now.” His gaze slid to Orin, face hardening. “Both of you. If you can keep your guard dog to heel.”

Metal squealed and groaned as Orin threw himself back against the wall with a loud thunk, arm cuffs cracking open at the sides.

Ari stood, and his own cuffs crashed to the floor as he hurried to help. “Wait, wait. You’ll hurt yourself. Allow me to assist.”

Orin’s wristcuffs were already cracked open, but Ari was able to pry them open further until Orin could slip out without losing much skin. Orin took the blade from Ari and shoved him behind his back as he stood to face Park, huge fists raised menacingly.

Park watched them dispassionately, free hand reaching out to open the bay doors without looking at the panel, unimpressed eyes trained on Orin’s fists.

The bay doors opened with a rusty screech and the ramp clattered down into a large cargo bay crammed full of mismatched crates.

Park gestured to the ramp with his pistol, something like anticipation moving across his face and churning Ari’s guts.

Orin moved to walk down, but Park called out to stop him.

“No. Redhead goes first.”

Orin snarled at Park over his shoulder, but Ari slipped his hand into Orin’s and started down the ramp with a suppressed shudder at Park’s expectant expression.

Noises in the cluttered cargo bay indicated the presence of more people, although some of the uncoordinated clamoring sounded more like a herd of puppies strapped into combat boots and running down the stairs.

The invisible puppies skidded across the floor behind the stacks, bumping into crates and knocking something small over with a muffled crash.

Park lifted the hand that wasn’t holding the pistol to pinch at the low bridge of his nose, eyes squeezing shut at the sound.

Someone rounded the corner of a stack of crates at breakneck speed, thin form clothed from head to toe in skintight black clothing in the same bizarre make as Park’s, with a soft gray hood pulled low over their head.

They stopped a few feet away, pale hand reaching up to clutch at their chest as they threw back their hood.

Ari let go of Orin’s hand, his entire body engulfed in alternating waves of heat and ice, limbs shaking and knees turned to water.

He stumbled like a baby deer as he ran into his brother’s arms.