The countdown to the release of space fantasy Star Mage Saga book 4, Accursed Space continues! In this week’s snippet, Carina has an awkward encounter with Bryce, and the Black Dog’s ship, Duchess comes under attack. If you missed the beginning of the book, go here.

Chapter Three

After returning Lomang to his cell, Carina encountered Bryce again in a corridor.

“Are you stalking me?” she asked teasingly.

Bryce smiled. “You’re an irresistible attraction.”

“So, what’s this news you want to tell me? You clearly can’t wait.”

“Well…” He put his hands on her waist. “Mmm. You really are irresistible, you know.” He pulled her toward him and they kissed.

Carina utterly relaxed in his arms. She loved these moments they stole together, which were too few and far between.

Some time later, Carina heard Atoi say, “Ewww. For stars’ sake, get a cabin.”

She was watching them, hands on hips, shaking her head.

Laughing, they broke their embrace.

“We have a cabin,” Bryce protested. “It’s full of kids.”

“Then do it in the mission room during the quiet shift like any other self-respecting crew member.” Atoi strode away, still shaking her head.

Pulling Carina close again, Bryce said, “As soon as we’re aboard the inter-sector ship we’ll be able to have our own cabin, right? I’ve seen how big it is. The living quarters must be huge.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they are,” Carina replied. Then she added, with regret, “but I guess Darius and Nahla are still going to want to sleep with us.”

Ever since escaping the Nightfall and their mother dying, Darius had always preferred to sleep near Carina. She’d never had the heart to discourage him. He was so young and he’d been through so much, it felt wrong to force him to sleep in his own bed.

And poor Nahla had been a mess of anxiety ever since witnessing Stevenson’s death and being trapped in the pilot’s cabin with his dead body. The little girl had lost all the bright cheerfulness she’d developed since escaping the control of her eldest brother, Castiel.

Bryce heaved a sigh. “I guess so. Still, we should be able to get some privacy sometimes, right?”

“Yeah, we should.” Carina added, with concern, “Do you think Atoi was serious about the crew using the mission room for their trysts?” She’d begun to feel icky.

“You would have a better idea about that than me,” said Bryce, pointedly.

A flicker of tension passed between them.

Was he going to bring up her history with the Black Dogs again? She thought he’d gotten over his jealousy.

“Anyway,” he continued, “with all that space available, we should manage to finally get some time together. Just you and me.”

“Yes, we should.” Carina agreed.

The corridor was empty.

She leaned in for a kiss.

“We’ll need to after we get married, after all,” he murmured.

She paused. “What?”

“That was my news,” Bryce said, his face centimeters from hers. His eyes were warm and happy. “I talked to Jace about it. He says he can perform the ceremony. He can marry us, mage-style. Isn’t that great?”

Carina put her hands on his chest and moved her head back. “You talked to Jace about us getting married?”

“The subject kind of came up.” Bryce chuckled and turned a little pink. “To be honest, I brought it up. That was what the Matching was for, after all, wasn’t it? To find romantic partners. I thought to myself, mage tradition has to include a next step after the Matching. It turns out a mage wedding ceremony is pretty much the same as a regular one. You make promises to each other and then do some other stuff Jace said he would explain later. The best part is, he can officiate. He said he’d be happy to. Who would have thought, huh?”

“Yeah,” said Carina. “Who would have thought?”

Bryce was studying her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She forced a smile. “I’m just a bit surprised. I hadn’t really thought about us getting married yet.”

“You hadn’t?” Bryce asked. His arms fell to his sides and he took a step back. His happy expression had faded to unease. “Hadn’t the idea even crossed your mind? I mean, I don’t understand why not. We love each other. It’s only natural we should get married.”

“I do love you,” said Carina. “But…”

Bryce’s eyes grew serious as she struggled to complete her sentence.

Eventually, he said, “I thought we were on the same wavelength but clearly I was wrong. I’ve really sprung this on you, haven’t I? But I don’t understand, Carina. What is there to think about?”

She didn’t have an answer. She didn’t know if her reluctance was due to the days she’d spent as a merc, when no one got too close to anyone else, knowing the dangerous lives they were leading? Or perhaps it was Nai Nai’s warning never to get involved with non-mages, which the old lady had drummed into her from as far back as she could remember. Or maybe it was a fear of what Bryce would be getting into, that he would be snatched from her and murdered, like Ba. She didn’t know what exactly was holding her back.

“I guess there’s a lot to think about,” Bryce said, his expression a mixture of sadness, hurt, and disappointment.

She tried to think of something to say to reassure him, but nothing suitable sprang to her lips.

She felt like shit. After all Bryce had done and given up for her, she wanted to make him happy, but she also couldn’t lie to him. The thought of the two of them getting married filled her with anxiety.

He went to say something, but an alert suddenly blared from the shipwide comm.

The Duchess was under attack.

“Crew to battle stations,” ordered Cadwallader, his voice resounding along the passage. “The destroyer that severed us from the Zenobia is approaching. Prepare to engage.”

They stared at each other. Carina wanted to hug Bryce before they parted to perform their duties. If the Duchess didn’t survive the battle, they might never see each other again. But she hesitated. Their brief conversation had thrown a barrier between them.

She saw the same indecision in Bryce’s eyes. Abruptly, he turned and strode away, heading for his station.

Hurt seared Carina’s chest. She swallowed.

However, like Bryce, she also had a station she had to get to.

Unfortunately, it was on the other side of the ship. She set off, jogging toward the docking port, where she had to prepare to repel any boarders.

Damn Lomang’s wife!

She’d been the danger the smuggler had managed to avoid mentioning. His wife had known the coordinates of his inter-sector ship, and she been waiting in the vicinity, perhaps in case Lomang managed to make it there, or in case the Duchess turned up.

Cadwallader had asked him, What else is there to prevent us from assuming control of the Bathsheba?

Not who else.

I hope you enjoyed this snippet! Accursed Space goes live on Amazon on 24th May, 2020.