It’d been... two weeks ago? Three? His fleet had been tasked with occupying an outpost in Sector Eight, but he’d taken his fleet to pursue pirates causing chaos nearby. While his post was undefended, radicals had stormed the outpost and seized it. Krii hadn’t been able to retake it. Now, rumors said Carik planned to replace him.
“I understand you need a win.” Kalie raised her chin. “I can give you one.”
“What do you propose, then?”
Kalie opened her mouth, but her voice failed her. Her body betrayed her by shaking. She’d negotiated countless deals, but Aunt Calida or one of her advisors had always guided her. Now she was alone, and one misstep could end her life. No one was coming to save her.
Everything rested on her shoulders.Everything.
If she failed, if she died, a war of revenge was not the only outcome.
Carik could install a puppet on Dali and raze the world so many called paradise.
Or Selene would become Duchissa, and her greed would plunge the world into ruin.
She needed to think quickly. She had to keep Dali, that was non-negotiable. No puppet of Carik’s would ever sit the throne while she lived. There was no way in hell she was letting Carik call her the murderer of her family. But the vow she’d made was what he feared, and if she had any chance of saving Dali, she’d have to sacrifice her revenge.
Kalie clenched her teeth.
Someday, she would make Carik pay. But that would not be today.
“I—I’m willing to?—”
Her voice cracked, and she dug her nails into her skin. Normally, this was where Uncle Jerran would take over. But he wasn’t here now, so she forced herself to take a deep breath and start again.
“I’m willing to recognize Carik as the Prime Minister of the Federation if he recognizes me as Calida’s heir and the rightful Duchissa of Dali. The bogus charges against me will be dropped, and I will return to Dali at once. If any harm has come to the people on theChimaera, they’ll be freed; they committed no crime.” Kalie gave Krii a quick once-over, taking in his military-grade watch, his polished boots. “For your leniency, Admiral, I will grant you ten million credits. And, of course, you can take full responsibility for the success of our negotiations.”
Krii pivoted. His agitated pacing slowed.
Kalie inhaled deeply, wishing she could avoid what came next. As she exhaled, she forced the words out. They tasted like poison, acidic and bitter.
“I will, as you demanded, issue a formal deca—declaration—” her nails bit into her palm at the stumble—don’t think about it, just don’t think— “that the Federation and Prime Minister Carik had no role in the deaths of Senator Pool and my aunt the Duchissa.”
An acid taste burned her mouth. Aunt Calida had raised her. Lexie was like her sister. The idea that she’d never get justice for their deaths was a dagger to the heart. It wasn’tfair.
But if she wanted to walk away from this alive, she’d have to let it go. For now.
“And,” Kalie continued, as a knot formed in her throat, “I will declare that the attack on my fleet in Sector Five was not led by the Federation, but by pirates or rebels, your pick, who wanted to rob my convoy and hold me for ransom.”
Ariah.
That was the worst blow of all. Her best friend, her sister, the one she’d cried to, fought with, and sought advice from. Ariah was loyal to the end, and this was how she repaid that loyalty: by agreeing to let her memory die in the darkness of space. No one else would mourn her sister, not like Marcus or Aunt Calida or Lexie. No one would remember Ariah, because no one had ever truly known her.
Carik would never pay the price for Ariah’s murder. That wound would never heal.
Krii raised his eyebrows, and Kalie swallowed thickly. He would not let her go unless she agreed to one last, critical term.
“If there’s war…” Her voice gave out, and she cleared her throat. “Dali will remain loyal to the Federation. I will commit all of our resources to Carik’s cause.”
“And if Etov is on the side of the rebels?”
For now, she had no choice but to give Krii the answer he wanted. “I’d beg my father to see reason. If that failed, I’d remain loyal to the Prime Minister and hope I wouldn’t face my family on the battlefield.”
Krii studied her.
Kalie’s hands shook, and she locked them together, meeting Krii’s scrutinizing gaze with a blank stare. The terms were the best Carik could hope for. Krii would be a fool not to agree.
“I consent to your terms, on one more condition. Carik will need an assurance of your good behavior. If you go back to Dali, there’s nothing stopping you from discarding these terms and declaring war anyway. I want hostages, as a symbol of good faith.”
