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Santiago stepped too fast. He shoulder-checked the bigger man without hesitation. ‘Brother,’ he said, firm and low, ‘you need to be gone.’

Bone didn’t move. Not at first. Then, so slowly it was almost theatrical, he moved back, his mouth twitching.

It wasn’t a smile, nor was it kind, nor cruel. It was a predatory smirk like he’d marked her, and he intended to make sure she belonged to him.

Then, just as suddenly as he’d appeared, he turned and stalked off down the corridor, bare feet thudding against metal grates.

She didn’t breathe again until his silhouette vanished through a side hatch.

Savvine let out a shudder. ‘Who the hell was that?’

‘Ignore him,’ Santiago muttered, jaw clenched. ‘He’s the loner of the pack.’

She turned her head. ‘The pack?’

Santi shook his head like it was the start of a story she’d have to earn to hear. ‘I’m sure Xander can explain.’

But even as he led her on, she glanced once over her shoulder, skin prickling where Bone’s eyes had ripped over her.

She had the sickening, breathless feeling that she’d just been imprinted.

Savvine blinked. ‘Are all Signet men this friendly?’

‘Only the irresistible ones,’ Santi said with a wink, then gestured toward the long glass corridor ahead. ‘Come. Prepare to have your mind thoroughly blown.’

Not knowing how much more she could take, she walked beside him, on crystal-plated hallways that curved through the ship, as the view that unfurled around her stole her breath.

This wasn’t just a ship. It was a city, a floating kingdom.

Gone were any signs of the prison this vessel had once been.

No bars. No cold cells.

Instead, she saw markets, bright with fabric, food, tech stalls, and spices. Families strolled beneath soft lighting and organic archways.

Cafés and terraces bloomed with life. Children laughed and chased each other, darting between grown-ups with school slates under their arms.

‘Kids?’ she whispered.

TheEternahad youngsters on board, but she had not expected any on a mercenary vessel.

‘Schools too?’

‘Two,’ Santi replied. ‘Three, if you count the rebel science academy. They grow wild engineers in that one.’

The impressive aspects kept coming.

Pressure-responsive flooring cushioned every footstep. Doors whooshed open without a sound, revealing interiors more akin to a luxury diplomat cruiser than a former dreadnought destroyer.

Each chamber gleamed with subtle design, including command decks with crystal-clear holo displays and conference rooms ringed in smoked glass.

Gravity stabilization ensured the gentlest sway beneath one’s feet, while scent-control systems diffused calming cedar, ozone, and citrus notes through the vents.

What should have felt cold and clinical radiated warmth, balance, and command.

Along with laughter, conversation, the hustle and bustle, and the energy of a happy population.

It was a capital vessel once built for imprisonment, yet re-imagined for everyday freedom.