"And the girl?"
"Chloe is her father's daughter. She's competent. She'll handle the preparations." I stood, keeping my movements slow and deliberate. "May I return to my cell now?"
Riuondo waved a hand dismissively. "Of course. You've earned a rest. After all, you've just given up everything." He smiled. "How does it feel, Lady Prime? To finally be free?"
I met his gaze steadily. "Like I can finally breathe."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
They threw me back into the cell with Cullen, and the moment the door sealed, I collapsed into his arms.
"Did it work?" he asked urgently. "Did she understand?"
"Yes." I was shaking, the adrenaline finally catching up with me. "She understood. She took notes, showed Ako. He knows something's wrong."
"Then they'll come." Cullen held me tighter. "They'll come for us."
"I hope so." I pressed my face against his chest, listening to our synchronized heartbeat. "Because if they don't..."
I didn't finish the sentence. I didn't have to.
But Cullen pulled back, his hands gripping my shoulders, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Listen to me," he said, his voice low and intense. "I know what you're thinking. The fear that if rescue doesn't arrive in time, you'll have to abdicate. That you'll have to surrender everything."
"Cullen—"
"No." His gray-green eyes were fierce, unwavering. "You need to hear this. If it comes down to it—if we're running out of time and Riuondo is pushing for that abdication—you stand your ground. You do not give in. You do not let him win."
I stared at him. "You don't understand what he'll do—"
"I understand perfectly." His grip tightened. "But you need to remember who you are. You didn't get that title because someone handed it to you. Youearnedit."
His voice grew harder, more certain. "You are the bravest, most courageous, most selfless women I've even known. That's why you're Prime, and that's why he's spent a century plotting in the shadows like a coward."
"But if he threatens to kill you—"
"Then I'll die knowing I helped save the universe." His hands moved to cup my face, his thumbs brushing away tears I hadn't realized I'd shed. "Serna, I need you to understand something. I believe in you. Not because I love you, though I do. I believe in you because I'veseenyou. I've seen who you are both as the prime and as simply Serna, and I love both parts of you."
I felt the absolute conviction behind his words. It wasn't comfort or false reassurance. It was faith—deep, unshakeable faith in my strength.
"You are stronger than your fear," he said quietly. "You are stronger than Riuondo. And you arenotgoing to let him be the reason you cower or abdicate. Not while I'm still breathing. Not while there's still a chance."
He pulled me close, and I felt his heartbeat—steady, certain, perfectly synchronized with mine. "We survive this together, or we don't survive it at all. But we don't surrender. Not you. Not the woman who earned the right to lead an entire universe."
I held onto him, feeling the weight of his belief in me like an anchor. He was right. I had earned this. And I would not let Riuondo take it from me. I would not be cowed by a madman.
"Okay," I whispered. "Okay. We don't surrender."
"We don't surrender," he echoed, and kissed my forehead.
We both knew what would happen if the rescue didn't arrive in time. Riuondo would make me abdicate or he'd kill Cullen to punish me. Slowly. Painfully.
But for now, we had hope.
I'd sent the message. Chloe had received it. And somewhere out there, the Alliance was mobilizing.
All we had to do was survive long enough for them to reach us.
Chapter 17
