Page 3 of Blinding Light

2

T hey use them.

Cyprian wasn’t sure how they used them, but it sounded ominous enough not to ask for more details. He hadn’t read it during his research of the planet. The Imperials definitely held a reputation, though that could be said of all leaders.

“They sound terrifying,” was all he could come up with.

Bekn grimaced. “They need to be stopped. But it takes a lot of balls to do that.”

“I can only imagine.”

“Forget about it for now, Xander. Come on, he was just messing with you.”

“Yeah.” Bekn was right. He had to shake this off. One greeting would not put him on the Imperial’s radar.

“He’s a student at the Academy as well.”

Cyprian’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Bekn hummed. They started filling their trays with food and drinks for the passengers. Bekn handed Cyprian another cup with Axe.

Cyprian took the drink absentmindedly. “Don’t tell me he studies art. ”

Bekn chuckled and shook his head. “Nope. They’re shitheads, and the Helion’s of my generation will do something to get rid of them. Come on, you’re as tight as a fucking bowstring. Cheer up. We’ll be in Helion before you know it. I can assure you; it’s a nice place to live.” He downed his own drink, impatiently waving for Cyprian to follow suit. And because part of Cyprian was still rattled after meeting the Imperial, he did just that.

“Alright, time to get back to work.”

They got up and had just left the kitchen when Bekn suddenly grabbed Cyprian roughly by the shoulder. Annoyance flared through him.

“What?” Cyprian yanked back.

“Wait…” It looked as if Bekn wanted to push him into a corner but was abruptly interrupted by a booming voice.

“Hey, you.” One of the burly soldiers came walking down the hall, his eyes on Cyprian.

“Why don’t you go see the captain and request that break?” Bekn proposed. “You didn’t pay extra for that bed for nothing.” Pushing him in the right direction, Cyprian practically jogged back to the main entrance in search of Delaine.

“Captain?” He said, making Delaine, who was staring out the window, turn over his shoulder with a surprised frown. “Can I take my break? Now? Please?”

The frown deepened, and Cyprian fisted his hands, trying to keep himself together. “I’m not feeling very well. I think it might be the effect of being in space for the first time,” he rushed out. Lies .

“Recruit.” The soldier entered the entrance hall, followed by Bekn. Cyprian squeezed his eyes shut in defeat. This would be the shortest escape in history.

Loser got caught in a shuttle.

Xander Devers really is Cyprian Creighton, a low-class scum adopted kid who was raised in Tulniri, but where is he from?

Where is he from?

“Imperial Moargan Zephyranth requests more refreshments. He?—”

“It’s already covered, Captain,” Bekn said, a bright smile on his face. He pointed toward the full tray. The soldier’s unblinking glare faltered when he turned to see Bekn’s wide smile. “Shall we go up?”

The soldier hesitated before he let out a grunt of approval. “Very well. Follow me.”

Cyprian watched them climb the stairs and let out a shuddering breath.

“I suppose you can go for now,” the Captain finally shrugged with a bored fling of his fingers. “You’ve got thirty minutes.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Don’t thank me. Thank your new friend. And make sure to leave this ship when we arrive in Helion, Xander Devers .”

Cyprian blinked. “Captain?”

Delaine held out his multi-slate. It showed a police report.

His police report.

A photo of himself stared right back at him, with his real name mentioned just below. So, his foster parents had reported him missing. That…Cyprian’s chest tightened. He didn’t know how that made him feel. All they’d ever cared for was the check they received to cover the costs of taking care of a child. Money that for sure had never been used on him.

“I’m assuming there aren’t hundreds of yellow-eyed guys on Tulniri,” Captain Delaine grumbled. Cyprian licked his dry lips. His gaze flicked to the missing report, then back to the captain.

“I can assure you?—”

“Save your bullshit with me, boy. You aren’t the first and won’t be the last refugee I have had on my ship. As a captain, it is expected of me to deliver you back to where you belong.”

“If you do, they will kill me. Please don’t?—”

“That’s why I’m telling you to leave my ship when we arrive in Helion. I never want to see you again.” He opened his mouth, then hesitated, eyes roaming around. “Be careful of the prince.”

“W-what do you m?—”

“I saw how he looked at you, the way his eyes glimmered. Lay low. Just…” The captain closed his multi-slate and turned back to face the window. Outside was mostly inky-black, aside from the occasional bulb of light, a ship, or a planet. “What you did earlier was a mistake. Don’t do it again.” Delaine folded his hands behind his back and didn’t say anything else. Conversation finished.

“Thank you,” Cyprian muttered and left for the basement.

The walk to the lower deck felt like it took him forever, his hands trembling and trepidation filling his gut. This…wasn’t going as planned.

The room was easy to find, a darkish space filled with bunk beds for employees. Clicking the door shut, he breathed in the silence and went for his bunk. He had left his gear in a hurry, but everything was still there. Crawling under the bed, he reached for the underside of his mattress. Relief washed through him at the touch of the data chip. Peeling it free, he curled his fingers around it, squeezing it in reassurance. This was the only piece of himself he had. The only thing he’d never had to share with anyone.

Only a few more hours and he would be in his new apartment, attending college as Xander Devers, and hopefully finally finding out who he truly was.

A loud knock at the door made him jump and bang his head. He was scrambling away from the bed with the chip held tightly in his hand when the room suddenly felt darker.

“Bekn, is that you?” Silence.

Any other employee would just barge inside. It was a communal space, after all. Then why was his heart beating so fast?

The door slowly opened with a long, black barrel.

It was a rifle.

He backed away. There was no other way to get out of the room.

Had Delaine decided to tell the soldiers about the refugee on board his ship? Had he been made to?

“Recruit.”

Quickly, Cyprian hid behind the bed, pressing his slender limbs between the metal frame and the wall as he slid down to his knees. With dread, he waited for what was going to come.

Someone walked into the room.

Cyprian bit his lower lip. Fuck. The click of boots on the silver flooring was slow and methodical. This wasn’t a co-worker. His heart thumped at the realization.

A whistle, soft and approving. “Hiding, right? That doesn’t make things better, you know?” This was the voice of the Imperial Moargan Zephyranth. A warm rumble. It suited him.

They are predators. They love to hunt.

They use them.

“You know, all I wanted was more of those delicious chocolate bars. From you,” the Imperial taunted.

Cyprian cowered when his gaze fell upon the white cloak as it came into view.

He was fucked. No one would come looking for him down here. And if they knew the prince was down here, they wouldn’t dare. His core trembled at the thought.

“Your friend told me that you’ll attend the Helion Academy as an art student,” the Imperial drawled, his words making Cyprian’s shoulders slump.

Bekn. The fucking rat.

“Such a polite employee.” More clicking sounds, each resonation speeding up the beat of Cyprian’s heart. “He looked after me really well, offering me drinks and food…his mouth.”

It took a moment for the words to click, but when they did, Cyprian found himself blushing at the insinuation.

“I politely refused.”

His face became hotter.

“I came down here to meet you, but it seems like you don’t want to meet me.”

Cyprian held his breath. Would that mean he’d turn around and leave? He inhaled a breath of air.

“You must be new to Helion customs. It’s very impolite to refuse an Imperial. Very impolite.”

A sudden knock on his bed made Cyprian jolt.

“Knock, knock, who’s there? Are you trying to test me?” When his hand crawled across the other side of the wooden frame, devious fingers practically touched Cyprian’s hot forehead, and he let out a satisfying murmur. “Definitely new to Helion customs.”

The thought of him actually touching him made him shiver, and he tried to block out Bekn’s words.

That wouldn’t happen. Not here on a spaceship.

Right?

“I’m going to tell you a little secret. Did you know that the Imperial family can sense other heartbeats?” The Imperial laughed from behind the wooden frame. “Yesss, give it to me. Thump. Thump . You didn’t know, did you?”

Cyprian’s heart lunged to his throat as the meaning of those words kicked in.

“Yes, that’s right. I can feel your heart beating as if it were my own. But faster, oh so fast. I can feel your fear. Hmmm…delicious.”

Cyprian felt movement. His breath hitched when the Imperial raised himself to his full height and shoved the bed away. He stared him down with those prying amethyst eyes, smiling. Both of his incisors were adorned with shining silver gems that made them look like murder weapons. “Hello there, little aeon .”