Chapter 17
Seventeen
Autumn had to be here somewhere.
Dante tapped a nervous finger against the back of the pilot’s seat of his destroyer. An endless maze of stars flickered and whipped by the cockpit windows.
Sweat slicked the back of the pilot’s neck from the heat of the fireballs he generated then retracted out of sheer frustration, but mostly anxiety. The warmth of his flame fogged the windows of the ship.
His wife was in danger. He had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.
He attempted again and again to reach her through their bond, but there was no answer, only still darkness.
As he ran a hand roughly through his obsidian hair, he hoped she was okay. She had to be. He couldn’t handle life without her.
He planned to murder whoever was responsible for her disappearance.
No, he couldn’t deal with the agony of loss a second time. Maeve, it’s happening all over again. History had a way of repeating itself.
He suspected Valdez, after he’d thrown her love admission in her face. She had reason to despise him and exact revenge. Deep in his gut, he had a feeling she took her wrath out on Autumn instead; the most important person in his life.
Valdez’s greatest joy in the universes was hurting others.
His communicator buzzed and his heart leapt to his throat. Autumn. But when he went to check— oh no, please, no, he begged anyone who would listen . It couldn’t be.
The Grand Supreme.
Receiving a personal call from him could only mean one outcome. A summons to Universe 24. Had Valdez revealed his indiscretion about sparing Earth and murdering General Keyserike? A chill rattled down the length of his spine. Was there a price on his head?
He slid his finger against the ignore button and continued his journey. Answering for his crimes could wait. Conquering more planets could wait. Lord Izzo could wait. Everything and anything interrupting him could wait.
He didn’t care about the consequences. All that mattered to him was finding his wife and making sure she was safe.
He cracked his knuckles and a smirk curled over his lips.
He was arriving on Diode in mere minutes. He was going to make Valdez pay for her treachery with her life.
Dante and his crew docked their destroyers on the desert planet of Diode. The always-bright amethyst sky twinkled in the sunlight. Endless stars sparkled from the depths of space.
White sand ran beneath his heavy black boots. He gestured to the sky and soared through the thick overcast clouds. His crew of elite soldiers flanked him.
When they arrived on the vast grounds of Gypsum Palace it was pitch quiet outside. The gigantic white cube with thousands of black arch ways remained deathly still. A smoky scent drifted through the air. Nobody greeted them in a formal capacity. Why was he not surprised?
He folded his arms and shifted his weight from side to side, assessing the situation. It was as he expected.
A blue sparkle of energy zapped by his ear. Fiery heat singed his skin. A moment later, they were swarmed by Zexian soldiers. Their crooked powder wings twitched high against their backs. Flat silver blasters sat in their palms, twisting around their long bony fingers.
“What’s all this?” Dante’s smile widened. Bloodlust flowed through his veins. He closed his eyes, reveling in the thought of connecting his fist with someone’s unsuspecting face.
“By order of Empress Valdez Aventura, you’re no longer welcome on planet Diode or in any of her territories. You have five seconds to vacate the premises or suffer the consequences.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Is that so? Who’s going to make us leave, you? Don’t make me laugh. By now you should know I take whatever I want. They don’t call me the Great Conqueror for nothing.”
Violent streams of energy flowed from the zappers. With a wave of his hand, he deflected the beams away from himself and his soldiers, causing explosions in the garden and along the palace walls.
In the blink of an eye, he unleashed hellfire onto the Zexian army, burning every last soldier alive. Screams echoed as their bodies disintegrated into fine black dust.
One soldier attempted to lift his head, but it thudded against the cobalt grass.
He knelt and scruffed him by the collar. “Where’s my wife?”
The soldier trembled. His charcoal eyes rolled back into his head before refocusing on him. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t you dare lie to me,” Dante’s fist tightened. “Tell me where she is, or you die.”
“Sire, forgive me. I never meant to challenge your authority. Please have mercy?—”
“A lesson learned too late,” he raised a hand, casting a fireball into his face, the embers of his flame swallowing the soldier alive. He’d slipped up and lost his temper. Not his finest moment.
He rose and hocked a ball of saliva in his mouth before spitting on the ground. “Search the palace grounds. Harm no female, child, or beast in the process.” He threw in the beast order as he thought of Mr. Hiss who waited for him back on the ship. Autumn would have wanted the animals to stay safe.
“Sire.”
He led his soldiers through the premises. Screams and smoke erupted from the palace. Residents took flight, their wings twitching and flapping in a frenzy through the air. Marble pillars crumbled to soot, and vines singed along the ceiling.
He raced around the palace with his crew until he passed one room in particular. He’d ignored its existence during his last trip to Diode, but the chamber beckoned to him. It was all that was left of her.
When he walked inside, to his surprise, the room remained unchanged. The bed was made, neat as always. Silky purple sheets were tucked in and folded to perfection. Vines twisted and swung from the ceiling. And the open marble pillars allowed a beautiful view of the city. Although much of the metropolis was on fire after his arrival.
He walked over to the chest of drawers. Everything was as he remembered, including a brush with traces of Maeve’s long winding black hair. Her faint floral scent consumed him.
He couldn’t believe this was all that was left of her. No, he couldn’t allow the strange coincidence. He left her room solemn but furious. For a moment, he could’ve sworn the ghost of his dead lover giggled and grabbed his arm.
After a few hours, the chaos finally settled. A hole burned in his chest when his warriors brought forth the surviving members of the palace, but Autumn was nowhere in sight.
They’d checked every room, corridor, and crevice of the palace and failed to find her.
He gritted his teeth, fists clenched. Dante ran a hand over his face and through his chin-length tousled hair. He huffed a deep shuddering breath.
A soldier ran up to him and fell into a bow. “There’s no sign of the empress or of Empress Valdez. What should we do with the captives?”
The prisoners stood there shaking. Tears streaked their pale cheeks as they hugged each other, preparing for death.
Dante folded his arms before turning on heel and levitating. “Spare them. We’ve wasted enough time here.”
After he spoke, a drone drifted in front of his face. He was being watched like always. He disintegrated the device with his fingers.
Armienti laid beside Autumn and caressed her hair while she slept. He twirled the long strands of her dark curls around his fingertips. Yet another storm erupted outside the walls of the cave. Snow and ice pounded to the ground as the wind howled and gusted.
He couldn’t believe the mess he’d gotten them into, couldn’t believe they were stranded forever on an uncharted ice world all because he was an idiot who trusted the infamous Valdez Aventura. She was known to be untrustworthy.
What on earth was wrong with him?
He sighed, eyes gravitating toward the stone ceiling. Icicles dropped and shattered from the entrance of the cavern.
Autumn stirred, her gray gaze meeting his sleep deprived stare. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she yawned and pulled away. Embarrassment warmed his face after the story he’d told her earlier about wishing they could be together. Not that any of it mattered anymore.
She sat up and tied her hair into a high ponytail. A few strands matted to her forehead. They hadn’t had a proper bath in a period of time. Oh, how he missed his luxurious suite back on Surge. He could never return, though, even if they did manage to get out of there one day.
“How long will you hate me?” His voice was low and gruff. He admired her through the dancing shadows.
Her lips parted. “I really don’t need this first thing in the morning.”
“Oh,” he glanced away. “I’m sorry, but to be honest, it’s all I can think about.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t hate you, but you do annoy me. And you’re selfish. Not as selfish as other people I know, but still selfish nonetheless.”
“What if I were to find a way off this planet? Could you forgive me?”
“I can’t make any promises,” she stretched. “Right now, I'm starving. I’m going out to find some more food.” She came to a stand and pulled on her boots.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea. We should wait until the storm passes.” Heavy flakes danced from the gray sky in waves.
“Try and stop me,” she challenged him, crossing her arms.
He hesitated, his mouth twisting to the side.
“That's what I thought, wimp.”
He found himself scrambling to dress as Autumn disappeared into the whiteout snowstorm.
“Hey, wait for me,” he waved at her, trotting behind like a desperate fool.