Chapter 40
Executions on Zanthar were rare occasions, which meant that they drew huge crowds. The news had spread immediately around the planet, and all those who could get to the central colony in time had hurried there from what he could tell.
The sound of the masses was nearly deafening, and it set Xivthar's teeth on edge. How could the people he had served so diligently turn on him so quickly?
“I'm sorry, little one.” He leaned close to Sylvie to speak into her ear. “I never intended for all this to happen.”
She glanced up at him and shrugged, her expression neutral.
“What's going on with you?” He couldn’t help but question her.
Maybe the events of the last hour had put her into shock. Still, she wasn't acting like herself at all.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her face blank.
“Your reaction. You're a fighter. You've never once given up. Why are you so ready to quit now?”
Her smile was sardonic. “Take a look around you, Xivthar.”
“They were about to cut you open when you got here, Sylvie,” he countered, “and pull out your organs one by one. You didn't give up then. You fought like hell if I remember it right.”
Another shoulder shrug and silence.
“People of Zanthar,” a voice boomed over the audio amplifiers stationed around the perimeter. “We are gathered here on this most solemn occasion in which we will see justice being served.”
The crowd erupted into roaring applause. It was ironic that such a “solemn” occasion would warrant such a boisterous response. The announcer went on to list the crimes against him, but he tuned him out, concentrating on his companion.
“I should have let you go on the transport. I shouldn't have called you back. I regret it more than anything else in my life.”
If he hadn't called the transport back, she could be safe on Earth now instead of awaiting her demise with him.
“Thanks, Xivthar. I can see how much it bothers you, but I’m good. Shit happens, right?”
That's twice she's used my full name.Sylvie had always called him 'X’, so much so that he'd wondered if she even remembered his real name. Something was off… terribly so. Was she in shock?
His Sylvie wasn't this bitter. She'd never been this apathetic toward him, even when he'd locked her back up after she'd sworn she wasn't an enemy agent. And his gut. His gut was no longer clenching. His emotions were flat. He was irritated about the execution and his brother's betrayal, and upset that Sylvie was being dragged into it with him, but his moods had been calm, like they used to be before he'd met the Earthling female.
He only had a few more moments to live. Best to stop pondering what ifs and use his time wisely. He'd tried apologizing to her and it had gone over like a lead balloon. There was one more thing left to try.
His hands were bound behind his back as hers were, but he could still lean into her and press his lips against hers. It was to be their final kiss, the last time they would come together before their lives ended.
The crowd gave more of a reaction than the woman he loved. They screamed, they hissed, they booed their disapproval.
Sylvie just stood there. Her lips were warm and still.
She didn't even close her eyes.
“You're not Sylvie,” he growled, horror grabbing hold of his heart.
The female smiled. “About time you caught on. For a Supreme Regent, you sure are slow.”
A Hareema agent. It had to be. That meant his Sylvie was out there somewhere, without him. Where was she? Was she safe?
His gut constricted immediately with pain so vicious he almost fell to his knees. Now that he'd realized thisthingwasn't his mate, his need to be with the real Sylvie felt like a thousand knives stabbing into his stomach.
How did I not notice before?
Xivthar hung his head. He'd failed her. She was out there, left to her own devices, alone and probably scared. When he'd thought she was by his side, his emotions had been tame. But now that he'd realized he was without his mate, his feelings were running riot. Fear. Rage. Regret.
His wild emotions washed over him, making him shake.I need my mate. It was the only thing he wanted as death loomed ahead.I need one more minute with her.
