Chapter 55
Fifty-Five
Armienti raced through Universe 17, past twinkling stars and alien planets of the solar system, determined to beat Dante to the Grand Supreme. He’d seen the signal of his brother’s destroyer flicker through several sectors before fading into the radar grid. He had to be around here somewhere. But where? He hoped that their paths didn’t cross again.
It would spell disaster or even death for one or both of them.
A price had been placed on his head for treason, but he had plans to negotiate Mr. Ramon’s freedom with the Grand Supreme. He was determined to get him back. It was the only way Autumn would forgive him for acting like an idiot and for being such a fool to trust Valdez.
At the time, he was desperate. Desperate to be number one, desperate for his birthright, and desperate for the girl who could change his life.
How he hoped Valdez wasn’t there either. He couldn’t stand to face her. Shame rattled him to the core. He wished he could withdraw his actions, but he’d dug his own grave. He hated to admit it wasn’t the first time he'd gotten himself into trouble.
He shuddered at the recollection of the way he behaved on First. What was he thinking? He shouldn’t have kissed her. His face and neck warmed at the not-so-distant memory of his lips pressed against hers, and how badly he wished she was his.
Although, since the day he had kissed her, she was all he could think about—no matter how hard he tried to dismiss his feelings for her. She was the first person he thought about in the morning and the last person he thought about before he closed his eyes at night.
His chest hollowed. He needed her in his life—no matter the cost.
Armienti’s heart slammed against his ribcage as his ship beeped with approaching vessels on the radar. Anxiety crippled him to the core. His body tensed as he made his way through Universe 17.
He did a double take. Dante’s fleet surrounded an alien planet. He slipped his own ship into invisible mode, melding with the stars and hiding the vessel from plain sight. What were they doing? He stared at the ships in formation, unmoving. He supposed Dante had gotten greedy and decided to add another planet to his collection on the way to Universe 24. How selfish, when Autumn’s father was in danger. It was like him to always want more.
He wasn’t surprised. His brother only ever thought about himself.
His mouth curved. This spelled good news he supposed. While Dante was distracted, he’d sweep through and play hero.
Wonderful.
Armienti sped through the end of the universe, making his way through the beginning of Universe 18. This was Dante’s loss and his gain; he’d personally see to it. He’d arrive in Universe 24 in ten more suns and moons, rescue her father, then Autumn would have no choice but to love him back and leave Dante. For good. Or at least that’s how the situation played out in his mind. Hopefully she’d see his true colors. His plan was perfect. His lips curved.
Dante would finally be the one to lose out. He would personally see to his misery. He was unworthy and Armienti would finally be the one to come out triumphant.
Autumn sat atop Dante’s steel throne that belonged to his late father. A red bubbling liquid pulsated through the veins, stemming along the arms and legs of the seat. What an eyesore. Her stomach turned as she wondered if the liquid was in fact blood. It was a good possibility, knowing his history.
Eww, gross. A wave of queasiness hit her. She placed a black-gloved hand over her mouth, easing the sensation. She took a few deep controlled breaths.
A heeled go-go boot gently kicked the side of her shoe. Her attention shot over to Leyla who sat next her, brown eyes wide.
“He asked you a question,” she whispered. Autumn glanced over at the salt and pepper haired lord down on one knee before the dais. His hazel eyes watched her in silence. He was probably getting a leg cramp from how long she made him wait for an answer.
This meeting sure was boring.
“I’m so sorry,” she snapped out of her thoughts. The entire court stared at her waiting for a reply. Even the servants stopped pouring wine. Her mouth grew dry, and her palms sweated in her lap. How she hated this part of being the empress.
“What was the question again?” she asked.
Leyla snorted silently. Her face warmed with embarrassment. She needed to pay better attention. These were her people, and they needed her help.
“Is there any news of the emperor, Your Imperial Majesty?”
Her heart sank in her chest. How she wished she had heard from him. For the time being they weren’t communicating for his safety. The scroll burned a hole in her pocket. Curiosity ate away at her. She wished she could open it and read the contents. But she resisted the urge.
“Um, yes,” she straightened her spine, holding her head high, desperately trying to recall the lessons she’d learned in speech class and from Dante. Public speaking was the worst.
“He’s doing well,” she lied through her teeth. “He should be arriving at Universe 24 any day now to recover my father. And then he’ll be home in no time at all.”
“How do we know he’ll be successful in the negotiations?”
“Why wouldn’t he?” she countered.
The lord shuddered. Sweat beaded along his blue brow, dripping down his cheeks. “Forgive me, my lady, I meant no disrespect. Nor did I mean to question your answer.”
She stared at him, taken aback. He was clearly terrified. At this point she figured Dante would send a fireball his way to send some kind of “message.” But instead, she tried a lighter approach.
“Don’t let it happen again.”
He nodded mechanically and rose to his feet. His legs swayed as he walked back into the crowd.
“Does anyone else require my attention?” She looked around the room, but nobody made a sound other than a cough and a sniff.
“Very well then.” She rose to her feet with Leyla, and they made their way out of the throne room. Everyone fell into bows. She was tempted to make a run for it.
Finally, they were free from the hot seat.
Leyla pulled her aside, lowering her voice. “How many times are we going to tell them that before they realize something is wrong. He would’ve reached out by now, don’t you think?”
“Not this time,” Autumn said. This time everything felt different. She’d been having dreams of Dante where he came to visit her as a ghost in the dead of night. He hovered over her while she slept, features wisping, followed by fire raining from the sky. But she didn’t dare tell Leyla. She didn’t dare tell anyone.
She took her sister by the hands and pushed out the most convincing smile she could muster. After all, she was the empress and it was her job to keep everyone safe and calm. Her lies hurt more than anything.
“I promise everything is going to be fine.”