Chapter 64
Sixty-Four
Dante raced through time and space, sitting in the cockpit of his destroyer. Stars zipped by the windows in clumps and streaks. He had to get home. Everyone he knew and loved was in danger of being annihilated. His heart pounded in his chest.
Autumn —his hands grasped the control panel. He hoped she was safe. His wife, his mate, the love of his life.
He could only imagine how frightened she was if the Grand Supreme had gotten to her first. No, he couldn’t let that happen. He’d torture her to the last thread of her life then kill her out of spite to get back at him.
It was all his fault.
He shouldn’t have gotten distracted by Valdez, given into bloodlust and revenge like she wanted him to. Fallen for her perfect trap. Although revenge was sweet. He should’ve traveled straight to Universe 24 and made a deal with the Grand Supreme like he’d planned. Then maybe none of this would’ve happened.
His navy-gloved fist balled, bones cracking in his hand. Once again, he’d royally screwed up?—
And he had no one to thank but himself.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never do right by Autumn. At least he had given her the scroll. Had she read the contents? His heart ached. He hoped not.
At least, not yet.
Dante entered Universe 15, traveling as fast as his spacecraft could go. His fleet of elite soldiers followed close behind at top speed. He had to get back home and work through the mess he’d created. He hoped upon hope his family was okay and his planet hadn’t been erased from the map in his absence.
“Autumn, I hate to break it to you, but you are not going through with this,” Leyla’s silver go-go boots patted against the crimson carpeted floor.
Her sister followed close behind her through the hallway before she stopped at her bedroom door. Autumn punched her code into the side key panel before being granted access. The steel door slid open, and they walked inside her room.
While she appreciated Leyla’s grave concern, there was no way out of this situation. At least no way she could see. The planet was surrounded by thousands upon thousands of spacecraft. The Grand Supreme was ready to start a war over her.
She was the empress, and it was her job to protect everyone, including Leyla, who refused to see her point of view.
“It’s me he wants,” she laced her fingers together. “Maybe if I go and speak to him, he’ll leave everyone alone.” She took a seat on the bed. Mr. Hiss yawned and stretched, climbing into her lap. He’d had a busy day as well playing with Kyo and Sean.
“Don’t be naive,” Leyla sat beside her, folding her hands in her lap. She turned her head examining her face with her large brown eyes. “He doesn’t just let someone go unless it serves him. Those that get tangled in his web don’t make it out alive.”
Autumn rested her head on Mr. Hiss. He purred, nuzzling her. “What should we do then?”
“We should fight him, or at least try to hold him off until my brother gets back. I’m sure he’s heard and he’s on his way from wherever he is.”
She wished she could talk to him. He would know what to do during an emergency like this one.
“How do you know he’s coming back?” Autumn asked.
“Sometimes you have to believe in things you can’t see,” Leyla placed her hand over hers. “Sometimes you have to trust in the unknown.”
BOOM . The entire room shook. Mr. Hiss sprang from her lap and ran underneath the bed. His sapphire eyes wavered with fear. Autumn rose, jogging over to the balcony. Leyla ran after her. They peered through the closed French doors. Another round of thunder rippled through the sky. Orange and blue flames crackled and roared.
Bzzzz . She heard. Her communicator rattled against the floor. Her heart leapt to her throat as she searched for the device. Maybe it was Dante, like Leyla had said. She knelt and found her communicator beneath her bed. It had fallen during the attack.
She slid the screen up with her fingertip and read the highlighted message inside:
“That was a reminder shot. Don’t be late for our appointment tomorrow evening. There’s much, much more where that came from. Be there or suffer the consequences.”
“Who is it from?” Leyla peered over her shoulder and then gasped, cupping a palm over her mouth.
Autumn’s hands slackened as the device slid from her grasp. The message was signed, The Grand Supreme.