Read Online Bayne by Misa Buckley - Free Book Online Page B

word. He held her close, breathing in the scent of her hair, and let the bitter thoughts crowding his mind go.
    “I guess I get to start over,” he said, again experiencing a mix of elation and sadness. Though quite what he felt sad about, he had no idea. “Do you think your people will let me?”
    Malia pulled back and stared at him, her gaze thoughtful. “Perhaps if you looked less like Bayne…” She lifted a hand and pushed his hair back. “It would be easily done, I think.”
    She stepped away then and went to the desk. When she returned, she had a pair of scissors in her hand. She arched a questioning eyebrow and he nodded. Sitting on one of the dining chairs, he handed himself over to her gentle ministrations.
    Straggles of black hair littered the floor as she worked. Her fingers teased and pulled, then the scissors sliced through follicles with a sliver of sound. Occasionally he felt the cold press of their sides, the glide of a sharp edge. But all Malia cut was hair.
    It took her perhaps half an hour, but finally she took a step back and admired her handiwork. She gave a nod of satisfaction. “Very handsome,” was her verdict.
    He ran a hand through. It was much shorter, no more than two inches, and it felt odd. Getting to his feet, Bayne headed to the bathroom and checked his reflection. It looked like him but… not. It also revealed more of his burnt left side than he was accustomed to allowing.
    A shudder wracked the ship—a timely reminder they did not have much time left.
    “Come on,” he said as he left the room. “We need to go.”
    She took his hand and they hurried through the corridors, down to the hangers where the two smaller ships waited. They weren’t designed for long-haul space flight, but they would suffice. At least more than the dying ship they were housed in would. The crew had split roughly 40-60, with eighty choosing to go to Terranis. The rest would make their own way and Bayne wished them luck. He didn’t need it—he had Malia.
    Giles was waiting at the ramp of the ship. He hugged Malia and ushered her aboard, before turning to Bayne.
    “Everyone’s aboard, my lord.”
    “Good, but that’s quite enough of that. Lord Bayne dies here and now.”
    “Bryce,” Giles said, not surprising him with that knowledge.
    “Yeah, apparently. Damned if I remember that, though.” A thought occurred to him. “If Grieves knew, then others must have. What happened to them?”
    “I was recruited after you returned from Terranis. There was hardly anyone aboard, but no one really explained it.” Giles grimaced. “Grieves must have dumped the entire crew, possibly even killed them.”
    “Then his fate is all that he deserves.”
    “Indeed, my lord. Sorry. Bryce.” He hitched his shoulders. “Going to take some getting used to, I guess.”
    Bayne clapped the man on the back and stepped onto the ship, followed by Giles. The ramp closed up behind them. “You’ve got three days.”

 
     
     
     
     
    Ten
     
    A cool breeze ruffled Malia’s hair. She closed her eyes and lifted her face, allowing the fresh air to buffet her, inhaling the smell of sea and salt. She’d missed this more than she’d realized. Though space had endless wonder, there was something… human about being on the ground, with the grass tickling her toes and the sun warm on her back.
    Their arrival had caused a flurry of activity within the city, largely panic as the townsfolk gathered the tribute together. They had seemed both relieved and disappointed Bayne had not come to collect—as if the ragtag group of survivors wasn’t quite the same as being subjugated by the Overlord.
    Bryce had gone unrecognized, which relieved Malia. She crossed the bridge to the station and pushed open the door. The inside had changed since their arrival—the consoles taken apart and consigned to storage bins, replaced by softer furnishings that turned the place into a home. Sheer fabric hung at the huge glass doors, billowing in