I snort bitterly.
“Well, they'd be better off picking up the three agents we knocked out first.”
Allie looks around the cockpit of this Reaver. At first glance, it would be easy to assume it was the same vessel we’d arrived in. In fact, it was a nearly-identical vessel – the one we’d taken from Dantus and his triad, just as planned.
It was a Reaver with a fully operational Orb-Drive.
“Yes,” I nod, “we stole their Reaver – and this one can Orb-Shift safely.” I look to Allie and her sister. “I promise, we're going to get you to safety."
The AI starts to beep. The robotic voice warns: "Ships approaching."
I run to the controls. There are four Aurelian Reavers chasing us. From far out, they start to fire at us – shots intended at first to make us stand down, and then damage our vessel enough to incapacitate us.
There are four ships… One of them is probably our own abandoned vessel. Dantus was clearly more enterprising than we’d given him credit for, and had woken up and come after us in the vessel we’d swapped for theirs.
The other three must be from Law Enforcement. The Empire always sends three triads to apprehend those on the Kill List.
Good.
If those three ships have just Orb-Shifted in, it means their Orb-Drives are still recharging. Dantus and his own triad are in our former vessel – the Orb-Drive of which is still offline.
We, on the other hand, have enough juice for a jump.
We won. We fucking won!
We’ve rescued Allie. She’s been reunited with her sister. We’ve demonstrated to her that our devotion to her isn’t slavery…
Quite the opposite. We can offer her a freedom she’d never imagine before.
Allie is going to love us. She’s going to want to be with us. I swell with pride.
If we survive, that is.
I grab the controls and begin to dip and dodge through space, avoiding the missiles and laser fire. So far, the Reavers have avoided using their Orb-Beams – trying to disable, rather than destroy us.
"Prepare to Orb-Shift," I bark triumphantly, slamming down my fingers on the controls.
Reality suddenly shifts us out of existence.
Nothing happens.
The ship creaks. I peer in astonishment out of the view port. We’ve snapped back right into the same position we’d tried to leave from.
"She betrayed us!" Hadrian wheels around to look at Allie. My eyes are elsewhere, though.
Now those other Reavers have caught up to us. The four vessels surround us – and before I can maneuver, they disable our Reaver with blasts of their ion cannons; temporarily knocking out our controls.
We hang in the emptiness of space as the Reavers approach. Within seconds, they’ll have docked with our disabled vessel, and the Law Enforcement agents will swarm in – Orb-Weapons armed and ready.
We could fight…
…but it’s four to one. We’d die trying to take them down.
I slump into my seat.
"We lost her,” I gasp. I turn to look at Allie, a well of despondency swelling up inside of me.
“Do we fight?” Hadrian demands. His hand is already reaching for the hilt of his Orb-Weapon.
I hold up my hand.
“No!”
There’s been enough death already. There’s been enough betrayal. We betrayed our Empire for the sake of our Fated Mate. Apparently, she then betrayed us.
I take a ragged breath.
“No,” I repeat. “If this is the way the Gods will it – so be it. Let us at least gain back one small piece of our honor. We’ll surrender, and accept our punishment. Put away your weapons, men."
As I say that, the bulkheads of our Reaver burst open.
Armed Law Enforcement agents swarm in. I can see they’re prepared to kill us on sight…
…they don’t expect the sight of us on our knees, weapons lying on the steel deck in front of us.
The agents look almost disappointed by our lack of resistance. Silently, they handcuff us. I can't even look at Allie as I am dragged away, through the bulkheads.
All this time, she was just using us.
All this time, she’d never cared for us.
But I won’t ever hate her. I can’t. She’s my Fated Mate.
Yet, I will never recover from losing her...
Not just the physical presence of Allie – but her heart.
We lost her the moment she decided she didn’t want to be with us.
No, I can never hate her – because Allie didn’t truly betray us. We betrayed her – by not being worthy of her.
26
Allie
I wish I could be mad at my sister, but I can’t.
She panicked, in the heat of the moment.
I curse myself for telling her about the device hidden in my arm. She’d been hyperventilating, frantic with panic, and when she’d been dragged onto this Aurelian vessel, she’d done the only thing she could think of.
She’d grabbed my arm, and she’d pressed my hidden shift-blocking device.
Gods! It's like poor Lilac has regressed to the mentality of a child. Whatever Torelli did to her broke her, and left her frantic and nearly mindless with fear.
Even as Law Enforcement drag Daccia, Kitos, and Hadrian away, I cling to Lilac so tightly, squeezing her tight in my arms.
I will never let her go.
“It's okay,” I promise her, stroking her hair. “It’s okay."
I say it over and over again…
…but it’s not okay.
My own life is fucked.
I’d only just realized that I truly wanted to be with the Aurelians, especially after they’d saved my little sister…
…and now this.
There is nothing I can do now.
Daccia, Kitos and Hadrian are going to be executed for what they’ve “done” to me, and for stealing an Aurelian Reaver. Two crimes punishable by death.
My only chance will be to plead for mercy for my triad – but even if I do, will they accept it?
The three Aurelians must hate me. They must view me as the worst kind of person in the universe. I’d betrayed them once already, and then they saved my life regardless – and the life of my little sister…
…only to
