Madness.
"Lady Prime," he said, his voice dripping with false courtesy. "How kind of you to accept my invitation."
They threw us to our knees in front of him. I felt the impact jar through my injured ribs, but I refused to cry out. Refused to give him the satisfaction.
Beside me, Cullen was breathing hard, blood dripping from the reopened cut above his eye. But his gaze was steady, defiant.
Riuondo walked slowly around us, studying us like specimens. "I must admit, I'm impressed. You made it farther than I expected." He stopped in front of me, tilting his head. "But did you really think I wouldn't anticipate this? That I wouldn't prepare for exactly this scenario?"
I said nothing. Just stared up at him with all the hatred I could muster.
He smiled. "No clever retort? No wisdom to share?" He crouched down, bringing his face level with mine. "You always were so good at maintaining that composure. Even during the trials, when I knew you were terrified, you never let it show. It's what made you win, you know. Not your strength or your intelligence. Your ability to hide what you really felt."
"And your inability to control your emotions is what made you lose," I said quietly.
His smile vanished. His hand shot out, grabbing my jaw in a grip that made my teeth ache. "Careful, Prime. You're not in a position to insult me."
"Then kill me and be done with it."
"Oh, I will." He released my jaw and stood. "But not yet. First, we're going to have a conversation. About the future of the Alliance. About succession. About what happens when a Prime abdicates."
My blood ran cold.
"You see," Riuondo continued, pacing now, his hands clasped behind his back, "I've had a lot of time to think. A lot of time to plan. And I've realized something important. If I kill you,the Council will never accept me as Prime. Your blood on my hands would make me a murderer, not a leader." He stopped, turning to face me. "But if you abdicate voluntarily, if you name me as your successor... well, that's different, isn't it? That's legal. That's legitimate."
"I'll never—"
"You will." He nodded to someone behind us. "Because if you don't, I'm going to hurt him." He pointed at Cullen. "I'm going to hurt him in ways you can't imagine. And I'm going to make you watch."
Cullen's voice was rough but steady. "Don't listen to him, Serna. Don't—"
One of the guards hit him across the face, snapping his head to the side. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Stop!" The word tore from my throat before I could stop it.
Riuondo's smile returned. "There it is. That's what I wanted to see. The great Lady Prime, finally showing some emotion." He gestured to the guards. "Take them to the holding cells. Let them think about their situation. We'll begin negotiations in the morning."
They hauled us to our feet and dragged us from the cargo hold. I tried to fight, tried to break free, but my hands were bound and my ribs screamed with every movement. Beside me, Cullen was in no better shape.
We'd failed.
We'd been so close—so impossibly close—and we'd failed.
As they threw us into separate cells, I caught one last glimpse of Cullen's face. Bloodied. Bruised. But his eyes met mine, and down the bond, I felt what he was trying to tell me.
Not over. Not yet.
The cell door slammed shut, and I was alone in the darkness.
But I could still feel Cullen's heartbeat, steady and strong, matching mine.
We were true mates.
And somehow, we were going to survive this.
Chapter 14
Serna
