Lady Sonja had been in charge of security for a very long time. She had zero tolerance for any kind of transgression. Immortals were above all.
“Damn the protocol. How do you think Wela’s going to feel when she finds out?” Captain Weston asked.
“It’s done. I grow tired of Wela and her entire family thinking the law doesn’t apply to them.” Lady Sonja practically spat the words.
Captain Weston had been telling the truth when he said my presence here was an insult to Lady Sonja. But whatever was going on between Wela and Lady Sonja had nothing to do with Ry’s murder. Her death couldn’t go unpunished just because Lady Sonja and Wela didn’t see eye-to-eye on political issues. Whatever those might be.
“Wela is on her way to the Epoch. When she gets here, we need to have a very good explanation as to why her granddaughter is dead.” Captain Weston wasn’t at all phased by Lady Sonja’s commanding glare.
“What happened is quite obvious to me.” She dug her fingers into her hip and winced.
“You know what I mean.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Lieutenant Johns was killed with a military-grade weapon. One of ours has the ability to kill us at will.” Captain Weston raised his voice, all composure and pretense gone.
“I’m aware of the situation, Captain. All witnesses are under custody.” She tapped on her wristband. “And have been processed.”
Captain Weston raked a hand through his hair. “You had the uniforms killed in their cells? We need a better plan that doesn’t include poisoning our own people.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. Lady Sonja ordered my execution? I only survived because Captain Weston had gotten to me before I suffocated to death.
“Don’t tell me how to do my job. And I would appreciate it if you stopped interfering with my orders.” She swiped a file off the hologram hovering over her wristband and it expanded into a bigger image of Captain Weston escorting me out of my solitary confinement unit. “We need to get rid of the spare.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I understand you want this political nightmare to go away quickly but sweeping everything under the rug will not help matters. If you’re not interested in finding out who’s out there looking for ways to kill immortals—”
“Of course I want to understand what happened on the Old Planet. But I would also like for our enemy not to confirm he or she has succeeded. Ry will remain in cryopreservation. Consider that me bending over backwards to appease Wela. I want all witnesses processed before the end of the day.” Lady Sonja fixed her jacket, surveying the space as if she’d just realized where she was. “Wela will have to play along. We all want the same thing here, Captain.”
“Yeah, we do.”
Lady Sonja shook her head. “Lieutenant Johns was the best in her unit. She will be missed.” Her words were mechanical and poorly delivered. “Her case will need to be expunged as well.”
“How are we going to explain her absence?” Captain Weston met Lady Sonja’s gaze. No doubt he thought he was doing this for the greater good.
“Maybe she goes on a mission to Jupiter.” She waved her hands in dismissal. “I’ll leave it up to you.”
I had to think fast. Or rather not think at all—the answer, though terrifying, was obvious. I had to do it. For Ry. Glaring at Lady Sonja’s retreating form, I rushed toward her.
“If I may, Sir, I’d like to request consideration to join the QEC.”
Captain Weston stared at me wide-eyed. If Lady Sonja heard me, she didn’t show it. She strode out the room and left me standing there with my heart pounding in my ears. I took a deep breath. Yes, the idea was insane. But now that I’d spoken the words, I couldn’t think of any other solution.
A low-ranked first-year cadet like me would have no shot at making the Queen’s immortal army. Ry had been groomed for years before she was inducted at eighteen. I would have a lot of training to make up for, but it could be done. But first, I would need to see if Wela would help me. Now that Ry was gone, would the Queen’s Cabinet allow me to claim the rights to her immortality?
I stood taller, digging my fingernails into the palm of my hand to stop my body from shaking. “Please. As QEC, I could look into Ry’s case.”
“You heard Lady Sonja. There is no case. You made sure of that when you shot the old man.” The intense tone to his voice startled me. “Instead of worrying about memorial services or justice for Ry, you should be more concerned about your own life. Don’t you think?” He braced his hands on his hips.
“This is all wrong.” What else could I say to make him see that we couldn’t let this go. Ry deserved better.
He pinned me with a dark stare. “Wela left Phoenicis the day after the accident.”
“Accident? You were there too, you know—”
He raised his hand to silence me. “You’re in the way again. Stop. Lady Sonja wants you gone. Did that not register with you?” He paced the length of the room. “For years, I watched Ry put herself in the line of fire for you. This is how you repay her?”
“I only want to do right by her.” My voice quavered under his intense blue gaze. “When will Wela get here?”
“Soon. You can make your case to her then. Right now, your grandmother is the only one who can help you. Stay here until I come for you. Maybe use this time to find a bit of self-preservation?” He slanted a glance toward the door. With a slow breath, he relaxed his features, and a cool calm washed over me. It wasn’t as comfortable as the serenity Ry used
