AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just kill him,” I say through gritted teeth. “I still can’t believe he isn’t dead this very minute.”
“This is a way to get what we’ve wanted,” Frankie argues, surprising me with how quickly she’s become attached to the idea. I suppose I should be grateful that she isn’t haunted by that evil male anymore, not enough to obsess over it like I do.
“He could be walking the streets again, if they so choose to release him,” I tell her. “They’re criminals, and they don’t care what he’s done if he’s useful to them.”
“I thought you said his punishment would be worse than death,” she says. “What does it matter if he’s still alive? I’m safe here with you, and he’ll suffer. Wouldn’t you rather we get something positive out of all this?”
“They’ll probably torture him for any secrets he might be holding onto,” Darra pitches in, “and then they’ll either kill him in a gruesome fashion as an example for the others that owe them favors, or they’ll turn around and sell him out to the Alliance as a show of good faith for situations where they need the authorities to turn a blind eye to their misdeeds…”
“He deserves to die, and to know that it’s because of what he did to you. We’ll find another way to save the Heir, and it won’t have to risk your deserved revenge—”
“It’s my revenge to trade,” she says. “Maybe I want it to mean something more than retribution. Besides, hasn’t this planet seen enough of death and revenge? The Heir is your home, and what we deserve is to have it here with us.”
“If that’s what you wish for,” I sigh, “then how can I refuse?”
I turn to Captain Darra, who waits expectantly for my final word.
“Bring me the Heir in exchange for this male’s wretched life. If you find the deal can’t be done, then you know what to do with him.”
The captain thumps his fist against his chest, mouth twisting into a smirk. “I live to serve.”
EPILOGUE
FRANKIE
A passing or so later…
The carved marble stairs that lead up to the best view in Ta’Nak Annir were once something I viewed with rose-colored glasses. They were picturesque, an architectural detail brimming with history, from the battle scenes to the many House seals depicted throughout. I studied them with fascination, getting on my hands and knees to rub copies of the reliefs for further research.
Now they are my slippery enemy, and perhaps the cause of my imminent death.
I take each step with care, clutching the banister for dear life, and the life of the heir I carry within. When I get exhausted around the middle part, I stare at the sky above and debate whether the view is actually worth seeing today.
But it’s not just the view of the bay and the sea beyond I’m climbing this death trap for. I’m awaiting the arrival of The Rightful Heir, and with it, Mak will be home after two painful cycles of being pregnant without him by my side. The ancient ship’s been in transit for almost a passing straight now—a year in Kar’Kali terms. Mak flew out to meet the skeleton crew that’s stayed with her all this time since our relocation began.
Between our first landing with Makiva’s Revenge and now, there’ve been a number of new arrivals, both Kar’Kali that were waiting on The Rightful Heir and those that lived on Station City and chose to move here. I have no shortage of tasks to absorb my time and energy as Ta’Nak Annir becomes a bustling hub requiring new construction and technological updates at every turn.
Viro waits for me at the top of the steps, eyeing my feet like a hawk for any signs of a wobble. When I first got the news that Mak and I were expecting a baby, Viro started acting out of character by paying more attention to his main directive of keeping me safe. While the sentiment was sweet for a couple of days, his anxious energy started to drive me insane.
So, I bullied him into treating me like he always had, but he still gets nervous and sticks close to me. It’s even worse while Mak is away, since I’m sure Mak lectured him about caring for me until he gets back.
But I grouchily insisted that I could fend for myself against stairs, gangplanks, tying my shoes, and stepping in and out of skimmers.
“We once stood out here and imagined it landing there across from the city, in view of everyone’s new home,” I tell him once I’ve reached the balcony. I breathe deeply when the sea breeze caresses my face.
Maybe it’s the hormones, but I’m getting choked up just thinking about the first trip we took to visit Ta’Nak Annir. Now that it’s become my home, it’s hard to imagine that we might have just as easily chosen some other place on this vast planet.
“Well, I pray to the rutting spirit that it fits up there. Because it’ll be a real pain to relocate it again once they’ve parked it.”
“It’s so huge, and I’ve only ever seen it in space,” I say. “It’s hard to imagine how it looks in an atmosphere, in comparison to the landscape, you know?”
“I’m pretty sure they measured,” Viro says, squinting. “Hopefully.”
I hear a ruckus from below, and then Raina Jones flies up the staircase, taking them two at a time with her hands full. When she reaches the top, she thrusts out four bottles of liquor, two clutched in each hand.
“I have the means to make this a party,” she announces, striding over to the table and clunking them down. She glances at me apologetically. “Well, for some of us.”
I stare at the bottles sourly. “Soon,” I promise them.
