Page 84 of Dark Space

Anna’s face broke into a wide, delighted smile. ‘Willow!’

Willow looked nervously backwards. ‘Ah,’ he said again. ‘Ashton, before you –’

A feral snarl rippled through the air, louder even than Morgan’s had been. Another Tirian – one with chestnut hair and bristling with weapons – pulled Willow behind him, and I found myself suddenly facing a Tirian gun.

‘You,’ the warrior snarled. ‘You’re the ones who took him.’

‘Ashton, can you just –’

‘No, I can’tjust,’ the male snapped at Willow. ‘Theytook you, Will.’ He pointed his gun at me. ‘I demand reparation.’

‘What is Ash banging on about?’ a voice came from behind them.

Anna went white. ‘No,’ she whispered.

A human female pushed her way to the front, elbowing the snarling Tirian male in the ribs and giving a convincing, wordless snarl right back. Her canines were sharper than Anna’s, and her eyes were glowing a striking blue-green. ‘Put your gun down, you –’ she broke off suddenly when she saw Anna, her mouth falling open in shock. ‘Mother-licking mud cake,’ she said, astonished. ‘Anna?’

Anna gave a small, awkward wave, her body tight with tension. ‘Hey, Maeve.’

Maeve snapped her mouth shut. ‘What in thefuck?’

The Tirian Captain frowned. ‘Maeve McCarthy? Explain.’

Maeve gestured at Anna. ‘Anna is my friend. My friend who should very much be safely on Earth right now.’

There was another growl; it was coming from Alcide.

‘Okay, I have hadenoughof people growling today,’ Maeve grated out. She strode forward and hugged Anna tightly. ‘Anna, I’m loving this whole unexpected reunion thing, but what thefuckis going on? Why is half of Australia suddenly on Natare?’

Anna returned Maeve’s hug, but her expression was tight. ‘It’s a long story. This is not going the way we expected.’

‘Anna?’ Another female voice rose in a shriek.

‘Oh, fucking save me, she’s going to go into labour over this,’ Maeve muttered.

A lovely human with a rounded, pregnant belly walked up to the group with difficulty, her cheeks pink with exertion. I stared, but it wasn’t at her – on her arm was a humanoid who looked astonishingly similar to someone I knew.

‘Tessa?’ Anna whispered, her eyes impossibly wide, but she wasn’t the only one surprised.

Vesper made a strangled sound.

The pregnant human stared at him, then looked at the man on her arm. ‘Um,’ she said. ‘Aster?’

The male –Aster– didn’t answer. His black brows lowered. ‘I didn’t expect to see you here, Vesper.’

‘I didn’t expect to be here,’ Vesper answered tightly.

The human female looked from one starling to the other, then elbowed Aster hard in the ribs. ‘You said you hadn’t seen him in the fles – in thestarlight– forone hundred and seventy years, Aster. Is that the best you can do?’

‘Look at him, Tessa.He stole my face.’

The female – Tessa – sniffed. ‘No, he didn’t. Your eyes are wider, your jaw is squarer, and his curls are tighter. It’s notyourface – it’s the face of yourtwin.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Quite frankly, Aster, you’re prettier.’

Vesper frowned; Anna patted his arm.It’s not true, she mouthed.

‘Fine.’ Aster paused. ‘Twin,’ he said politely in greeting.

‘Twin,’ Vesper rejoined.