He smelled fresh, like he’d just showered. The scent of a cinnamon soap on him was different than usual for Kellan. He probably had to use whatever was on this ship. I could use a shower myself. With their scent of smell so heightened, did they know when I smelled bad even before I did?

  That was sort of a gross thing to think about.

  I wasn’t going to go there in my head. They must think I was okay, or they wouldn’t all want to be close to me. I was going to go with that.

  Closing my eyes, I made a decision. I was just going to go with it. For once in this strange, bizarre life where I was constantly between what was happening to me and what I wanted, I would take what I wanted. In this moment, even if it was insanely wrong, I wanted this.

  I didn’t know how long I slept, but I woke up when Wade banged on the window. “Hey, tough guy, you know you’re not supposed to be in there. I’d really appreciate it if you guys wouldn’t get yourself sick so I have to figure out how to save you, too.”

  Kellan groaned but sat up. “Looks like we got caught. We made it longer than I thought we would. Wade must have been sleeping.”

  I stared at Kellan for a second while my mind cleared. “Were you awake when I thought you might be awake?”

  He shrugged. “Half awake.”

  “You’re always half awake, I think.”

  Kellan got up and rubbed his eyes. “How would I know the difference?”

  That was a perfectly legitimate question. He’d never had the difference. How would he know? I swung my legs over the side of the bed. “How long until we’re at The Farm?”

  “We’re there.” Kellan knew the answer even though he’d been asleep, too. I looked down at my wrist. If I were at ten, I was never going to forgive myself for being so selfish for the hours I’d taken. My head was clearer than before. I could only hear a thousand souls yelling in pain in my head, as opposed to the ten thousand the day before. It wasn’t that many. There were only a hundred or so on the ship when I took on their pain. But it felt that way. My number was at eight. It had lowered a touch. I let out a breath and held up my arm so Wade could see it through the glass. He nodded, and the relief in his gaze must have been mirroring my own.

  “That’s good that we’re there.” I really did need that shower. “Do you think they’ll let me take a bath when we’re there? Before they start poking and prodding at me, and I say nothing about what we’re doing?”

  Wade snorted. He smiled as he spoke. That was a nice sight. Different from earlier. “I think they’ll let you take a shower. This isn’t going to be a prison thing.”

  Blaze entered and Wade spoke to him over his shoulder. “She’s down a notch.”

  “Good, maybe Kellan sneaking off to sleep with her was some magic touch.”

  Kellan groaned as he exited the enclosure. “He wants you to know we didn’t get away with it, Sienna. Just in case we thought we were sneaky, Blaze already knew.”

  “I know most things,” Blaze responded with a shrug. “And then sometimes I don’t know anything.”

  That seemed like a pretty accurate description for my life as well. Although, lately I wasn’t sure that I knew anything at all.

  The approach to The Farm was beautiful. We’d landed the whole ship where we’d been met by more people ready to come on board and help than I could have imagined. The guys were all instantly busy. Blaze had to report in to some people I recognized from the meeting on Mars Station about what had happened, and the others scattered away to go see various people who could help them in some way. Of course, they were all lying. We weren’t there because we wanted to tell our story.

  With nothing to do and no direction as to where I was supposed to go, I stood and observed while some big machines pulled Artemis out of the ship and loaded her into a large hangar that I could see in the distance. Since we needed Artemis healthy to use her the way we had to, we would be here on The Farm just as long as it took for that to happen.

  “Hello,” a voice called out to me, and I jumped, my hand going to my throat in reflex. It took me a second to remember Diana from the brief lunch I’d had with her. She was tiny, dark-haired, and smart. Or at least that had been my initial impressions. The women who I’d been with were all close to one another. As the outsider in a formed group, it was hard to know what was real and what I’d picked up from other people’s perceptions.

  I smiled. “Hi. Am I in the way here? I suppose I should go inside and figure out where I was supposed to be.” Which was a polite way of me not saying I needed to shower. That was one of those things maybe I didn’t say aloud in front of strangers. Plus, there was the other factor. As a person who was sick enough to stay in a glass cage the night before, I should probably not have been wandering. Of course, I was at eight now. There was a huge difference in eight to nine. At least in as much as the guys had all relaxed when they’d seen or heard it. Perhaps it was just a question of my own ability to heal. If I could get back down to eight, I was maybe not as dire as they’d worried.

  Maybe was the keyword.

  “No, I don’t see why you would be. They’re all inside making arrangements for you. I know you didn’t like that last time. Or at least that’s what I heard. I wanted to make sure you knew.”

  I smiled at her. “Things are a little different now.”

  “Funny how that goes. I only have one Super Soldier to contend with. You have five. That has to be a lot. Plus Wade and Trenton have strong personalities.”

  I opened and closed my mouth. “I think I’m a lot to deal with. More so than any of them. I’m sick and in constant danger to myself and others. I can do weird things with my mind that make me sought after by bad people. I probably got my family killed. I think if anything, they’re dealing with a lot in me.”

  She smiled slowly. “I think my husbands are dealing with a lot in me, too. I like you. You’re a little disgruntled. I am, too. You just express it better. I think we’re going to be very close friends.”

  I blinked. Really? She had gotten that from what I said? “Um, sure, sounds good.”

  Were friendships made just like that? “Come on. Two of my husbands are going to want to check you out medically, and that’ll be no fun. You might as well have something delicious to eat before that happens.”

  My stomach grumbled, but I had a more pressing concern. “I could really use a shower.”

  “That’s easy. I’m going to bring you to Waverly’s. They’ll find you there, your guys, as soon as they realize you aren’t where they left you, which will be very fast. Look.” She pointed, and I followed her indication to where Anders appeared in the distance. “He’s already figured out that you’re moving, and he’s watching.”

  She was better at this than me. How had she spotted him so fast? “I wasn’t worried. They take very good care of me.”

  “We’re lucky in that.”

  It was great to hear it expressed that way. “When you don’t have anyone to care about you for a long time, it is really infectious in the best possible way to be wrapped up in it now.”

  I was feeling better already. Diana was direct, a little quirky, and a bottle of positive energy. I could really get used to her company.

  She brightened up. “Yep, good friends.”

  On Mars Station I wouldn’t have imagined that possible. Things had altered, and I couldn’t say I was the least bit upset about it. I had a new friend. It was tentative, and I liked the feeling, a lot.

  Waverly’s house was a distance away, but I could tell immediately why Diana brought me there. It was an actual house, like the ones we’d had on our planet, not a military encampment where people lived. Of course, any security The Farm had probably didn’t extend this far out. Still, I could see why she would have chosen this, despite the risk. This felt more like living and less like simply existing. This was why I hadn’t liked Mars Station. I wanted real, not made to be a replica of it.

  The owners weren’t home, but Diana entered like she had every right to do so. I hoped that was the case and Waverly and her husbands weren’t going to object to us just barging in. I gave up worrying about that in the shower. It was warm, and I decided that I could stand there all day without needing anything else. Of course, I wasn’t going to do that. I’d never been anywhere where water wasn’t a problem. I had to be cognizant not to overuse supplies. So when I could tear myself away from the comfort, I turned off the spray and wrapped myself in one of the towels that was neatly stacked next to the door.

  As I dried off, I noticed that Diana must have left a change of clothes for me, too, and I quickly dressed, glad not to have to put on the same thing I’d been wearing since we got attacked on the planet. Was that just days ago? It felt like a lifetime.

  I stepped back into the hallway and caught the sound of voices downstairs. Waverly stood at the bottom of the stairway and smiled warmly as I approached.

  “Sienna, I’m so glad you’re here.”

  All eyes were suddenly on me, and I was glad to see that Trenton was among those waiting.

  “Thank you for letting me clean up here. It was a real treat.”

  She waved her hand. “It’s nothing. What’s mine is yours. How are you feeling?”

  A blond man stepped up next to her, and as I approached, he watched me with kind eyes. “Would you mind if I looked at your wrist? I’m a doctor.”

  I met Trenton’s gaze, and he nodded. Not that I thought anyone would lie about that, but when everyone was a stranger in a universe where few could be trusted, it was nice to have the support.

  “Ari and I have known each other a long time.” Trenton crossed to me and put his hand on my shoulder just as I held out my arm for Ari. Maybe we could get this fixed so I never had to deal with doctors again. I’d just be fixed. I almost jolted at the peak of optimism coming back in my head. If my whole life were an experiment, then perhaps I was learning how long it would take for me to come back from a huge event like the one I’d had on the Evander ship.

  Ari nodded. “So eight isn’t a great number, but it’s better than nine.” He dropped my arm. “Wade is really upset that you got to nine. But we’ll just say that eight is improvement and feel good about that. He also told me that you literally took down a ship of Super Soldiers by taking on everyone’s pain. I can’t say that I one hundred percent understand that. I mean, the science of it. I’m thinking the women on your planet must have some extreme action in your frontal cortexes and—”

  Waverly interrupted him. “Ari.”

  “Right, sorry. The why of it can wait. You are not a science project for me to figure out. I’m much more interested in how you’re feeling now. Emotionally. I’m not sure I’d be standing straight.”

  Trenton sighed. “Before they eliminated psychiatry as not necessary in our society, that is what Ari did. He really does care about how you’re feeling.”

  “That’s kind of you.” But there were a lot of eyes on me right then. “I’m not really comfortable talking about myself, and these circumstances make it even worse.”

  “Then we’re going to eat,” Waverly called out, and everyone turned and headed toward the kitchen.

  Trenton nodded to me. “Hungry?”

  As it turned out, I was obscenely hungry. Ravishingly famished. Everyone was quickly introduced, and I realized I had met most of them the last time I was around them. It was just hard to keep track of new people, but I quickly caught up. Waverly had four husbands: Canyon and Rohan—they were both Super Soldiers—and also Jackson and Ari, who were not. Diana had five: Damian, Judge, Cash, Lewis and Sterling. The last was a Super Soldier, the others were not.

  My guys eventually filed in. Although The Farm had a huge amount of people on it, the gathering made it seem like there were family groups of people that got together within the larger group itself.

  Maybe that was what we were all looking for when it came down to it, a group that we could call our own that helped us have a sense of community in a universe that was more interested in letting us float off into oblivion if we weren’t careful.

  “How many do you think got away?” Sterling asked Blaze, who was the last one to come in. “How many Evander soldiers are still running around out there?”

  Blaze winced. “Not sure. I was pretty out of it. Like those flashes of light when you first wake up from cryo and you’re not really there yet. That was then. Trenton would know better.”

  Next to me, Trenton stiffened. “I was mostly concerned with Sienna and getting her out of there safely.”

  Sterling held up his hands. “You guys brought down the Evander vessel and took prisoner most of the men who are now sleeping peacefully in cryo. I’m not here to judge. I’m just trying to get a sense of how many people we have to worry about showing up. Planning, that’s it.”

  There was tension between Blaze and Sterling. I looked between them when Diana spoke fast. “You’re right, Sienna. They don’t get along. Old baggage that maybe someday they’ll make peace with.”

  I hadn’t spoken aloud. Did Diana have some mind reading ability?

  “I read it on your face. Just thought you might want to know you were right.”

  Cash leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Might be one of those things you should have kept to yourself.”

  She frowned. “I never know exactly what I should and shouldn’t say.”

  Damian shrugged. “Say anything you want as long as you keep talking.”

  There was a story in that, but I didn’t want to ask it right now. Instead, I focused on what Diana had said earlier. “I’m sure if they don’t get along, there’s a reason. Blaze is one of the best people I know.”

  To my surprise, Sterling grinned. “Well, look at you, Blaze. She has your back in a major way. Never thought I’d see the day when the Commander would be hooked like you are. Good for you. It makes us human.”

  “We were already human.” Blaze took a long drink of his water. “We just didn’t know it.”

  Canyon picked up his drink and held it toward Blaze in a toast. “Cheers to that.”

  The rest of the night went more smoothly. It was pretty much congenial, and despite having slept with Kellan for however long, by the end of dinner, I was yawning. Devil pushed his chair back and walked over to me.

  “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

  That sounded great. I just had no idea where that was. “Where am I staying?”

  “We have rooms. In the main area. A family suite, as they call it. It’s comfortable, and I set you up to make sure you would be happy there.”

  I rose from my seat. That meant a long walk back. It hadn’t seemed like such a long trek on the way over to Waverly’s house, but now on the return, I was going to feel every step. Still, I wouldn’t complain. I’d set out to do what I said I would do. I got us off the Evander ship, and even though we now had to silently lie to get what we needed, we had a plan that had a chance of working.

  On our way out the door, I met the gazes of each of my guys. They weren’t any more comfortable than I was, and yet here we were in the thick of this. Maybe none of us would ever really know how to behave in these situations. It didn’t matter. Our ability to fit in mattered the least out of everything we did or didn’t do right now.

  I’d never be the most popular girl in any room, and I didn’t think I wanted to be.

  Still, Diana grinned, and I did the same back to her.

  “Thank you,” I spoke to Waverly and Diana. They were being nothing but nice, and I couldn’t let whatever it was that always made me feel separate from everyone else make me be rude. They were kind. I would be the same.

  After we left, we might never see each other again. A pang of sadness hit me. I’d have liked to know these women, to understand what made them who they were and why they would take in a stranger, feed her, and make sure she was comfortable.

  “Sienna.” Waverly got to her feet. “If you need anything, I want you to know that however things seem now, Diana and I were both at one point lost in the universe. We did eventually figure out how to make our own homes. Yours can be here with us if that’s what you want.”

  That was really, really nice of her to say that. “Thank you, Waverly.”

  We were outright lying to these people. And for the first time, that bothered me. When we left here, we were going to undo what they had done to keep us all safe. We were going to open the black hole and, like a pointed arrow, shoot ourselves right at Evander until we could fix what they’d done to me.

  Devil squeezed my hand. If he knew my thoughts, he didn’t say.

  Wade cleared his throat. “Check your number before you go to bed. If it’s back to nine, please let me know.”

  “I will.” Devil tugged me toward him, and we left the dinner.

  The sun was setting outside, and it cast an orange glow on this strange planet. I shivered. Without the sun, it had gotten colder. Without a word about it, Dev pulled off his coat and wrapped me up in it. I looked like a child wearing my father’s clothing, that was how huge it was on me.

  “So, how well did you know the Super Soldiers here?”

  He sighed. “Well enough. As well as I knew anyone. I was not the person they wanted to be around. I was a rough commander. I believed in getting the job done no matter how we did that. To be fair, I had a pretty good track record for not getting my men killed.”

  That was something. An important something. “Blaze seemed very tense.”

  I could keep quiet about it, but everyone else knew what was going on. If they were eavesdropping, I doubted they’d get any new information from listening to me. Dev was quiet. I wondered if he’d answer me, and finally, he did. “Canyon and Rohan let Blaze think they were dead. Sterling? I don’t know all the details. But I think he’s angry at them, and they don’t like it. I don’t know. I don’t really care. I only care about what the rest of us will do from here. Not what mistakes we made back when we didn’t know better.” He paused. “Sienna, I really only care about you.”

  6 The Dark Planets