When Night Falls (18 page)

His head cocked to the side. “The earth exploding? Infected taking over the ship?”

She rolled her eyes, her lips quirking. “Okay, not quite everything.”

It was his turn to drop his gaze to his hands. “I haven’t exactly been fair to you, have I? I should have told you the truth about Kiera and I from the start. It probably would have saved us a lot of confusion.”

She could only shrug her agreement and waited for him to continue.

“I never wanted to marry Kiera. She was my best friend’s little sister and, in a lot of ways, a lot like Lauren to me. But the life contract had been signed. There was no way to break it without disgracing the family name.”

Scarlett had heard of life contracts, but it wasn’t something people normally talked about, not in her class. Kiera had been right about that much. Scarlett had always been free to pick whomever she wanted to marry. But it wasn’t uncommon for higher classes to join bloodlines, power, and even business by blood. Life contracts were barbaric and frowned upon even in the year 2912, but it wasn’t unheard of if two parties were consensual. The contract was binding, even in the United Courts. Failure to abide by one was punishable by imprisonment, loss of whole empires, and, in some cases, death.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Rolf murmured, reminding her he was still speaking. “You’re wondering why I let things go for as long as I have.”

She hadn’t been, but now that he’d brought it up…

“Why did you?”

He shrugged. “I guess I was always afraid she’d fall apart if I did. She’s not like you, Scarlett. She’s not strong.” The angry welt on her face begged to differ, but Scarlett kept quiet and let him continue. “She’s only been taught one thing her entire life, that she would marry me and that’s it. That is her entire purpose. She doesn’t know anything else.”

“But encouraging her—”

He nodded. “I know. It was wrong of me. It was unfair to her, to Mac … to you. I really was trying to do the right thing. I’m the one who messed everything up so if you want to blame anyone…”

Scarlett shook her head. “I don’t blame you.”

“That makes one of us.” He raised his eyes and met hers. “I told her I wanted out. I told her a week after the news about earth. I couldn’t go on pretending the arrangement was something I wanted, not when every time I closed my eyes I saw you. It scared the hell out of me. I spent a lot of nights lying awake, thinking of ways I would tell my father I wanted someone else, that I wanted out of the contract. I knew it would never happen, but I always thought about it. Then the world ended and…” He trailed off with a bitter chuckle. “There was a part of me, a small,
small
hidden part of me that was actually …
relieved
, because it meant the promise was broken and I was finally free.” He dropped his face into his hands and rubbed viciously, making Scarlett wince. “You must think I’m a monster.”

Truthfully, she had no idea what she thought. His confession had hit her with so many different emotions that the whiplash had rendered her speechless.

“Those nights with you in the observatory were the only minutes of my life I ever felt like I could really breathe. You didn’t treat me like I was Rolf Gray, son of Tobias Gray. I felt like a person. My own person. It was selfish, but I needed that. I needed you in order to feel that.”

Without thinking, Scarlett laughed, although nothing about what he said was funny. “And here I thought I was the one using you and being selfish because you made the numbness go away.”

There was a hint of a smile in his eyes when he searched hers. “Well, I don’t know about you, but that wasn’t the only reason I liked being alone with you.” He shifted to the edge of the cot and reached for her hand. His long fingers curled around hers, dwarfing them. “I told Kiera it was over. This time for good. I will still protect her and be there for her, but I won’t marry her.”

“What did she say?”

He jerked his shoulder. “She needs time to accept it. The last time I told her, she didn’t believe me. But not this time. It’s been three years. Both our fathers are dead. The contract is gone and if we’re all going to die up here, I don’t want to spend it wondering. She can finally be with Mac like she’s always wanted and I … I can finally have the girl with the ribbon.” He offered her a rueful grin. “I should have pushed harder to make Kiera see, to make her understand, but I was scared she’d do something stupid the way our chaperon did during the riots. It took the end of the human race for me to realize I had this one chance to be happy.”

“That’s kind of ironic.”

He snorted what could have been a laugh. “I never wanted her. But I have always wanted you.”

Warmth soaked into her cheeks, making her lower her gaze. “Does that mean—?”

“Sorry to interrupt.” Silos pushed his way into their conversation. “But if you’re up for it, perhaps we can have that talk now.

Chapter
Nineteen

Aside from the ten marshal in attendance around the long, wood table tucked away in the kitchen—not including Rolf, Jack and Mac—there were about fifteen others. Hunter was there as well, standing with Scarlett at the opposite end of the table from Silos. The reasonably spacious room felt cramped with all the people taking stand throughout it, listening to Silos speak. It felt extra crowded because no one was sitting, but holding up the walls or just standing with their arms folded. Two bowls of untouched stew sat where Rolf and Jack should have been sitting, but neither had been given the chance to eat. The minute they’d walked in, Silos had fallen straight into his questioning.

“Where did you go after you got separated? Were you able to find other survivors? What was happening out there? Why did you return?”

Rolf seemed reluctant to be bombarded by the number of questions being thrown at him, but he answered them nevertheless. The chain of command made him incapable of refusing. Silos was a commanding operator and, as a novice, it was Rolf’s duty to comply.

“We holed up on deck eight. One of our members had been bitten so we stayed with him the night until he passed. We set out this morning to come here.” He said it curtly, quick, brisk words, but Scarlett could see the tension in his shoulders, the pain in his eyes no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Maybe it was because she knew what to look for and had seen it in camouflage in the past to recognize it, but she saw it. “There were no survivors that we found and nothing has changed. The number in creatures has risen, but that’s nothing new.” She didn’t miss his deliberate avoidance of the last question.

“Did you see any creatures on your way back?” Silos asked.

Rolf shook his head. “Not one.”

Silos straightened. “That’s interesting.”

“What is … sir?” he tacked on as an afterthought, the chain of command raising its head once more.

“Just a theory I’m working on.” Silos motioned for one of the marshals to step forward. A data port like the one Jack carried in his pocket was set in front of them. He swept his hand over the screen and it came to life and a projection of the ship hovered before them. “Scarlett tells me you’ve tried to descend to the second floor twice before.”

Rolf inclined his head. “We did. Both times we were stopped.”

Silos nodded slowly, gaze fixed on the screen. “Where?”

Rolf blinked. “Sir?”

Silos waved at the diagram. “Where were you stopped?”

Looking wary, Rolf pointed to the spot between decks eight, seven and six. “They seem to appear as soon as we cross deck seven.”

“Yes.” Silos rubbed a hand over his jaw. “That was what I found as well.”

“What are you saying, Silos?” a short, squat little man asked as he planted fat hands on the table and leaned in to squint at the ship diagram. He wore an operator’s uniform.

“I’m saying I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Silos replied. “It seems highly suspicious that those creatures only attack on those floors and it seems suspicious that someone is in the control room, overriding the systems.”

Rolf stiffened. “Someone is doing what?”

Silos looked at him. “You haven’t noticed?” At the shake of Rolf’s head, Silos frowned. “You haven’t seen the transporters activate or the doors disengage on their own?” 

Rolf glanced at Jack, who gave a bemused shrug before turning to the commanding leader once more. “We haven’t.”

“That’s odd,” Silos murmured.

“There’s nothing odd about a faulty data scanner that hasn’t been used in years,” the short man said.

“Don’t be blind, Alois!” Silos barked. “As an operator, you ought to see the signs.”

“All I see are mere coincidences,” Alois remarked with a dismissive flick of his hand.

“No,” Scarlett said before she could stop herself. “They’re not coincidences.” She turned her eyes to Rolf. “The locks on deck ten released on their own when we were there.”

Rolf nodded, remembering. “It’s true.”

“Two floors!” Alois waved his hands again. “So the wires are faulty because of the lock down and the fact that we are so far from the sun. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Personally, Alois, I would rather be safe than sit here on my hands and wait to be slaughtered,” Silos countered sharply.

Alois shoved away from the table and threw up his arms. “And what are you suggesting, Silos?”

“Someone needs to visit the control room.”

“Are you mad?” Alois’s roar was barely distinguishable over the buzz of chatter that swept through the room.

The room continued to ring with the torn situation. Sides were taken, thoughts and notions were thrown about and completely missed as no one was listening to anyone else. Scarlett looked to Hunter who sighed and rolled his eyes. Jack had given up standing, dumped himself into the chair and begun to eat. Rolf was the only one who seemed to be ignoring everything as he stood studying the hovering diagram flickering on the table.

“Even if someone was up there, playing with the system, why would they want to kill everyone on the ship? It’s lunacy.” Alois’s booming voice cut through the chatter, driving it instantly silent. “Just who do you suggest make this suicide mission, Silos? Who would be stupid enough?”

“My men and I will.” Exuding power and demanding nothing short of respect,
Dorian Rager stepped forward. The light glinted off his smooth, perfectly shaped scalp and shone in the warm brown of his eyes as he took in Silos and Alois.

“Thank you, Commander,” Silos said, inclining his head.

Alois narrowed his already squinty eyes. “And leave us completely defenseless?”

“I will take two men and return with any news we may find,” Rager said evenly. “If there is anyone tampering with the safety of this ship, it is my duty as commanding marshal in Cindy’s place to investigate.”

“I volunteer to go as well.” Rolf straightened his shoulders.

“Absolutely not,” Alois bellowed. “This is no place for children.”

A muscle bunched in Rolf’s cheek. “With all due respect, sir, I’m top in my field. All my on and off field assignments have earned triple ribbons in black, gold and silver, the highest marks since Commander Rager himself and I was scheduled to graduate to mentor with the next faction a full four years ahead of my unit. Besides that, I have people on this ship that are looking to me to protect them and I intend to do that in every way possible. Sitting here isn’t an option.”

Had the room not been full of strangers, Scarlett probably would have kissed him for sounding so damn hot just then, but she managed to just restrain herself as Jack shot to his feet.

“I—”

Mac rapped his knuckles on the table for Jack’s attention. He thumped a fist to his chest, his expression fierce.

“We,” Jack corrected. “Go where Rolf goes. We’re a team.”

“I’m going, too,” Scarlett blurted before any decisions could be made without her.

“No!” Rolf and Hunter said simultaneously.

Their combined protest made her start. She looked from one to the other in disbelief.

“We’re a team!” she said, exasperation bleeding through her words. “You said yourself—”

Rolf nodded. “And we are, but if I can avoid putting you in danger, I’m going to do that.”

“I’m already in danger!” she exclaimed. “At any moment, those doors could open and we could all die. But if I’m with you, I could help watch your back.”

“You’re right.” Rager said before Rolf could speak, surprising Scarlett, and the rest of the room.

Rolf snapped around to face him, spine as stiff as a ruler. “But, sir, I—”

Rager put his hand up for silence. “We’re at war. We need all soldiers on hand, which is why I’m appointing you as temporary marshal here at base. You will make sure everyone is safe while we’re gone.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him just how stupid he thought she was. Very, apparently, if he thought she didn’t see what he was doing.

He had no authorization to promote her to anything, never mind a marshal, especially when she had no training whatsoever. He was patronizing her. It was even more humiliating that he’d done it in front of the entire assembly. But she bit the inside of her lip, balled her hands at her sides, and smothered the tickle of outrage by saying nothing.

Seemingly satisfied by her compliance, Rager turned to the rest of the room. “We will set off first thing in the morning and press to make it back before evening.”

“You’re angry with me.”

Preoccupying her rage by repacking her bag, Scarlett ignored the quiet question by pounding a rolled up T-shirt into the bottom.

“Scarlett.” His boots made only the slightest scuff as Rolf crossed the short distance between her and Hunter’s beds and sat. The frame groaned. “You have to understand why I can’t have you with me. I’m part of a team. My job is to watch the back of the guy next to me. I can’t do that if my one and only thought will be to keep you safe.”

“You wouldn’t have to!” She stuffed the palm-sized medi-kit into the bag. “I can look after myself.” She twisted her head around and glowered at him. “You have no idea how worried I was when you were gone. All I could think was that I would never see you again. I don’t want to go through that again.”

“I won’t be alone.”

She went back to her organizing. “You weren’t alone last time.”

He sighed. He slipped off the cot and knelt down beside her. “If I know you’re here and safe, I will always come back, Scarlett.” He touched her cheek, the caress feather light. “Please don’t be upset anymore. You have to see why I’m doing this.”

Her eyes squeezed closed and she hung her head, partly in shame, partly in guilt. She did know why, that was the thing. She knew he was trying to protect her. What made it worse was that they’d been officially together for a handful of hours and already she was becoming the whiny, clingy girlfriend she hated seeing. The shame was mortifying.

“I do. I’m sorry.” She raised her head and forced herself to meet his gaze. It felt surreal to be able to do that without feeling like she was breaking some rule. “I worry.”

Understanding shone in his eyes as he brushed aside the curls off her cheek. “I know and I’m sorry I can’t change things, but I’m a marshal. Protecting you and protecting the lives on this ship is what I swore to do.”

She nodded. “I know.” She took his hand. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

He leaned in and brushed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll do my best.”

The dream started with her running. It started with the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears and her terror lathering at the back of her throat. She was on the ship
, that was clear by the row of vacant quarters zipping past her. But her feet weren’t moving, or rather, the floor wasn’t. Something wasn’t, because she wasn’t moving even as everything around her blurred by. Behind her, shadows stretched and clawed across the ground, reaching towards her like disconnected hands. The chilling groans scraped off the walls, muffling the shambling scuffle of multiple feet. Tears blinded her as her head whipped over her shoulder, looking around. A stitch formed in her side. She reached for it even as her foot caught and she went sprawling. She hit the ground, tasting carpet as she gasped for the air dislodged from her lungs.

“Scarlett.”