For Darkness Shows the Stars

first real smile Elliot had ever seen from her. “Perhaps I should have you make this argument to my brother.”
    For his part, Kai had said nothing, but there was a strange look in his strange eyes.
    “Very well,” said Felicia. “Lead me to him. Maybe he makes a good point.”
    Andromeda groaned and the whole party headed inside, where they were greeted in the parlor by Horatio at the door, Olivia in the chaise longue, her legs covered in blankets, and Donovan in the chair beside her, tuning his fiddle. He looked up at his sister and frowned.
    “Hello, everyone,” Horatio offered awkwardly.
    “Hello,” said Felicia. “I am told I’m here—despite the fact that I got fewer than three hours of sleep last night after delivering a baby—to intervene in a family squabble?”
    “It’s more than a family squabble,” Andromeda said. “He’s endangering the mission if he stays behind.”
    Donovan’s expression toward Andromeda was now one of pure hostility. “I can’t believe you did that.”
    Andromeda crossed her arms over her chest. “Go ahead, Don. Tell her. Tell her what you told me.”
    Donovan shook his head in disappointment. “You’re being cruel.”
    “No, you’re being cruel. To all of us. This woman has given everything to you, and this is how you repay her?”
    “Can we have this conversation somewhere else?” Donovan suggested.
    Horatio cleared his throat and addressed Elliot and Kai. “Should we, er, leave them to this?”
    Elliot was appalled. Why was Andromeda dragging them all into this? If Donovan planned to quit the Cloud Fleet, why bring Felicia to talk him out of it, rather than the admiral? She looked to Kai for clarification. But he was standing as close to the door as possible, and seemed to be searching for escape routes himself.
    But then Felicia spoke. “No, Andromeda. Donovan is right. You’re being cruel. This was an ambush, and frankly, I’m surprised.” She turned to Donovan, and her voice grew tight. “You may do as you like, son. I’m going to bed.”
    Olivia raised her good arm off the cushions. “Mrs. Innovation. Please. You have been so good to me. I owe you so much, and it would kill me to think I have hurt you . . .”
    All at once, Elliot understood. Some stupid Luddite . All those weeks of daily music lessons. Donovan didn’t want to go on their latest expedition. He wanted to stay on the estate. The Grove estate. With Olivia .
    She looked to Kai again, to find he had retreated even more into the shadows of the foyer. She wondered how long he’d known that Olivia had transferred her affections to Donovan. Was that why he’d been refusing to attend her music lessons? She wondered if he was hurt, if he hated Olivia now, the way he’d hated Elliot for so long.
    And of course it would hurt Felicia to discover that her daughter’s great love had moved on. The Innovations both still mourned Sophia, and she knew they took pride in the fact that Donovan seemed to, too.
    Felicia gave a deep sigh and addressed Donovan. “You are a young man. You loved my daughter. My daughter is dead. How foolish it would be of me to expect you to never love again. Above all else, I want you to have the happiness I couldn’t give to Sophia.”
    Andromeda stamped her foot. “That’s it? You’re just going to let him go like that? Felicia, help me!”
    Felicia shook her head sadly. “Andromeda, he is not indentured to me. He owes me nothing. You of all people should understand that.” She turned to leave and Andromeda rushed after her.
    Kai put out his arm to block her path. “Let her go, Andromeda. Don’t you think you hurt her enough? She didn’t need to find out now. She didn’t need to find out this way.”
    “I can’t lose him!” the older girl sobbed, low enough that even Elliot, who was closest, could hardly hear her. “I can’t leave him to them .”
    Kai gave her a pitying look. “They aren’t all bad.”
    “You would say that, Malakai. You’ve loved one all your life.” She shoved past him and out of the room. He shook his head, and then his eyes met Elliot’s.
    The world stopped spinning. She’d heard. He knew she’d heard. Every atom in the universe seemed to coalesce into a point in the space between them.
    I don’t want to talk about Olivia right now.
    Somewhere, Horatio was calling to her, asking her something about apples. Or maybe aphids.
    This is all a nightmare.
    Elliot only had eyes for Kai. They could stand here forever, it