Athena’s Ashes (Star Thief Chronicles #2)(70)
Author: Jamie Grey

Had she died?

Renna shifted on the bed and hissed as pain burned through her leg. Not dead then. In a hospital. She focused on taking in the rest of the room—the soft bed, the pale yellow walls and muted artwork that could grace a museum, the state-of-the-art holomonitor tracking her vitals.

Not exactly the usual hospital room.

The soft snick of a door opening drew her gaze, and Finn poked his head in. His smile was as bright as the sun.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

She nodded, feeling strangely tongue-tied as emotions swirled through her. He was still alive. But he’d lied to her and betrayed her. And she still loved him. Renna had no idea how to handle any of those feelings. Maybe she didn’t need to right now. Maybe just seeing him was enough.

Finn pulled up a chair beside her bed and cupped her cheek, looking deep into her eyes. “I thought we’d lost you.”

“You should know by now I’m tougher than I look.”

He smiled. “Thank the stars for that. When we found you in the wreckage, you weren’t moving, your leg was broken in three places, and you’d lost a lot of blood. Luckily the Eris swooped in just in time, and we were able to get you here to the MYTH hospital. I’ve never seen Alistair bark orders like that before.”

“Is everyone else all right? What happened?” She studied him closely, looking for signs of pain, but Finn looked handsome as always. Clean-shaven, dressed in his captain’s uniform, and completely unharmed.

He nodded. “The Athena’s crew took up a stand at the edge of the river, but we were quickly overwhelmed by the hybrids. One of them shot Keva and one of the mechanics died, but the rest of us were still fighting when we saw the Athena take off. I was sure that was it—sure we were going to die and you were already gone. And then it exploded.” Finn gazed out the window. “She was the best ship I’ve ever flown.”

“I’m sorry. It was the only way.”

Finn sniffed and turned back to her. “I know. She’d be proud that she saved all of us. As soon as she burst into flames, the hybrids froze, like someone had cut their puppet strings. Then they collapsed. Whatever happened killed them all instantly.”

Renna closed her eyes against the pain. More deaths on her tab.

“Hey,” Finn said, touching her arm. “It’s not your fault.”

“I know. But they were family once. They didn’t deserve to die like that.”

“But we stopped Samil and put an end to all of this. It’s not perfect, but maybe it’s enough.” He stroked a piece of hair back from her forehead. “How do you feel?” His gaze dropped to her neck, and she knew he was talking about her mom.

“Conflicted. She was never there for me growing up. I hated her for so long because of that, because of this.” Renna ran a finger along the scar stretching from her ear and down her neck. “But in the end, she sacrificed herself for me. She knew what would happen if she attacked Samil, but she did it anyway. For that moment, she was my mom again.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she brushed them away.

“It’s okay to grieve, Renna,” Finn said gently. “It’s okay to feel conflicted. She was a complicated woman. But she loved you in her own way. Hold on to that.”

She smiled at him through watery eyes. “Dammit, I wasn’t going to cry today.”

“I won’t tell.” He squeezed her hand. “I have some good news if you want it. Maybe that’ll help.”

“Of course.”

“Aldani examined you and your implant.”

Her heart jumped. “Yes?”

“He doesn’t know how, but the integration with your nervous system is complete. And it looks like it’s developed in a way that has created a symbiotic relationship. You’re still you—just enhanced.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. She should feel relieved, but instead she just felt confused. “I don’t understand.”

“You know how vaccines work, right? You inject a small part of the disease you’re trying to prevent into the person, and it allows you to develop antibodies. Well, somehow Samil’s virus did the same thing. Instead of fighting your implant, your body has started working with it. Accepting it.”

Renna shook her head. “Maybe that’ll make more sense when I’ve had a few days to think about it.”

“Whatever you need. I’m just happy you’re still you.” He traced circles across the top of her hand with his thumb, and happiness shot through her in a wave so strong it took her breath away.

“Me too,” she said, smiling at him.

A soft knock sounded at the door, and Major Dallas pushed it open. “Up for another visitor, my dear?”

Renna’s gaze snapped to him, her contentment draining away. He was the last person she wanted to see right now, and based on the sheepish expression on his face, Dallas knew it.

He didn’t wait for her answer, but strode into the room, taking up a position at the foot of her bed. “I owe you an apology, Renna.”

“You owe me more than that.” She knew she should be furious at him and at Finn, but right now she was too exhausted to summon the energy.

Dallas nodded. “I know. But let me say my piece. Commander Jayla told me what was going on after your first stop at Titan Industries. I was skeptical, but then came the attack on headquarters and it all made sense. I wasn’t expecting it to be Dr. Samil, but eventually that made sense, too. The commander kept me posted on what happened after finding Wall, and we came up with a plan we hoped would give us an advantage over Samil. The doctor obviously had spies within MYTH, and sending you out on your own seemed like the best way to draw her out.”

He ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “Finn protested violently. He thought we could do it another way. But Admiral Usamov and I decided this plan was our best shot. You are smart, resilient, and tough. We knew you could get it done. We made a mistake.”

Renna glowered at him. “Damn right you did. If I’d had back up, we probably could have ended this back at Blur’s warehouse, and Viktis would never have been tortured.”

“I know. We underestimated her at every move.” Dallas raised his gaze from the foot of the bed to meet her gaze. “Which is why we’d like to offer you a special position within MYTH. We need someone like you on our team, someone who can think outside the box and keep us all honest.”

She let out a bark of laughter, then winced as pain shot through her mid-section. “Are you saying you need a thief to keep you honest?”