She stood in the War Room aboard her flagship, the Jasmine, and watched as her mother explained what she’d found in the royal library – the proof corroborating the story the Drakesthai had told her, including livestream footage that had been deleted from the public’s eye and then hidden.

It was important, but the information wasn’t as useful at that moment as Adelina had originally assumed it might be. Presented with the Neprijat, her people had no qualms with the Drakesthai.

But it would be useful when they finished this and went back home to rebuild.

When not if, she reminded herself.

Something else to add to her endless list of things she needed to address once she could be a real queen instead of having to rule in a constant state of damage control.

Asher stood beside her with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring as they absorbed the information. All the lords, ladies, advisors, and councilors Asher had brought with him were there, as were the Drakesthai council, the Unchanged, the Chancellor of Brogna, and Sozav.

Everyone had glared at Sozav until the recording had begun and the queen mother Adele had appeared above the massive table as a holo. Adelina purposely had Sozav stand behind her, at her back – proving that she trusted him not to slide a blade between her ribs or slit her throat.

Varan and Nash flanked him on either side with Kaiden standing behind the Neprijat rebel, wings spread as wide as they could go. No doubt they looked unapproachable – which was what she’d wanted.

Nadyah was on her left and slightly behind. She didn’t have Asher’s rank, but she was still one of Adelina’s personal advisors. As was Veri who’d signed the necessary paperwork and had sent it back in record time. Veri stood slightly behind Asher on his right, a mirror to Ian behind Nadyah.

Despite his rank as prince she’d given him the title of Royal Scientist. He advised her on all tech and medicine as well as ran the team of physicians still working on the Drakesthai cure. He had told her moments before the recording had begun that a young female, Chiara, had found a breakthrough and they should be able to begin widespread testing soon.

Adelina missed having Roxy with them, but the female was off doing important work – protecting the pirate female no doubt as she helped Kaita.

The hair on the back of her neck still prickled though. This message wasn’t what had her instincts roaring, putting her on edge.

She’d had this feeling once before – when she’d been at Varan’s tavern with Nadyah. Her courtesan had also confessed there was something in the air—something that did not bode well. And they hadn’t been wrong.

The queen mother finished her report and Adelina watched as her mother’s eyes softened. An ache in her chest threatened tears but her eyes remained dry. “I hope this information is what you needed, and I wish you well my daughter, my queen.” Adele bowed and the recording ended.

The silence that followed was potent. Everyone had something to say, but it was not about the information revealed. So Adelina spoke before someone else could open their stupid mouth and she’d be forced to put them in their place.

“Serilda, a formal apology from Draga. I wish we’d known sooner so the reparations could have started before the Neprijat came to your system,” Adelina stated, loud and clear – ignoring the way Sozav shifted behind her, clearly uncomfortable.

The old Drakesthai female stepped forward and bowed – bowed to her. “Apology accepted. The past is forgiven, if not forgotten. And with our alliance I hope we can rebuild together once this bit of nastiness is taken care of.”

Adelina couldn’t help her smile. She loved that the old dragon spoke like this war was simply an inconvenience, easily overcome. Adelina nodded and before she could dismiss the meeting to avoid more arguments about the Neprijat, a communications tech rushed into the War Room.

That feeling that had been riding her all day spiked and her stomach flipped so hard Adelina felt like she may actually be sick. “Yes?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling in front of everyone.

“A request to speak with you, your majesty, from the Neprijat king.”

Her blood ran cold as the words registered.

Sozav stiffened.

“Get him out of here,” she snarled to no one in particular. “I’ll take the cast here so everyone can see and hear.”

Her heart started pounding so hard she felt it in her throat, her hands shaking as the adrenaline shot into her system.

Two from her Queen’s Guard escorted Sozav out. She didn’t have the time to explain it was nothing she planned to keep secret from him – the Neprijat king simply couldn’t see him if they were going to keep this part of their plan from their enemies.

For some reason she cared what their Neprijat ally thought.

But this…nothing could be risked even if she was terrified the king already knew.

Once Sozav was out, she nodded to the tech and where her mother’s holo was just a moment before – the Neprijat king stood, smiling wide with dark pleasure. He looked a lot like Sozav but his hair was longer with many braids to keep it back. The king seemed larger as well – his shoulders wider and chest broader. Even his eyes were a slightly different shape.

“Congratulations are in order it appears, Queen Adelina,” the king drawled. Every hair on her body stood up straight at the sound of his voice. That voice still haunted her nightmares. “Long may you reign.”

It may be a jest, as the king bowed his head ever so slightly, but Adelina was not prepared to play this game. She would take the safest route and feign innocence and ignorance. “Thank you,” she murmured, not bothering to return the bow from one monarch to another. “To what do I owe this call?”

That terrible smile grew even wider, the sharp teeth glinting in the light – even in the holo. “One of my patrols came back with some interesting information and a present.”

Adelina’s heart stopped in her chest. No one else even moved as the scent of their fear nearly choked her. “Did they?” she asked, praying to Katsia that the intel he’d received wouldn’t ruin them all.

Asher took a step closer to her, as did her mates. Even though the king was nowhere near her in reality…everything about him put the males on edge.

A flick of the king’s wrist and a body was thrust into him. A wriggling, screaming, familiar body.

The king gripped her neck so tight all she could do was snarl at him with her hands bound. “Someone wasn’t paying attention and my patrol managed to capture this one. Did you believe her dead? Perhaps that is why you so quickly took the Crown? Or did you make sure your dear sister would be captured? I don’t particularly care either way, I’m simply curious.”

Adelina had never felt anything close to what poured through her in her life. It demanded attention.

She couldn’t move, she couldn’t even breathe as she stared at Giselle in the holo – captured by the Neprijat king.

So much could go wrong – so much could change at this point in time, altering what might have been irreparably…

“Does it matter?” Adelina finally asked, trying to feel out the king and his agenda. She clasped her hands behind her back and gave Varan a quick hand signal. Make this transmission public.

Whatever happened here, everyone needed to know the truth.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter which it is,” the Neprijat king told her, eyeing Giselle up and down like she was some sort of prize. “But she is still the rightful Queen of Draga since she is still alive. Marrying her would give me the power to rule your system as well. Isn’t that much simpler than trying to fight me? You will lose and everyone you love will die. Every single person you’ve ever known or cared about will perish under my forces.”

Each word that fell from the king’s mouth was poison and it lanced Adelina’s internal armor – strengthening every fear she’d had since beginning this journey.

She didn’t have to ask Asher to know he felt guilty. He had been her superior and somehow she’d been captured…a patrol had made it through their shield with a royal born female – what the king had desired from the very beginning.

Adelina didn’t blame anyone. She didn’t know if the patrol had snuck by her when she’d opened the hole in the shield for Asher, before they’d set up the de-cloaking for the Neprijat, or if they’d blasted through one of the gates. Either way it didn’t matter now.

Her only living sister was in the hands of her enemy and she had no way to save her.

Despair and regret infused her soul – her very bones. There was nothing she could do and she knew it. Whatever happened next would decide their fates one way or another, but Adelina knew that there was only one way Giselle would make it through alive.

Would her sister take what the king offered?

“I abdicated,” Giselle spat. “Your rule would not be recognized in Draga.”

A tiny flare of hope hit Adelina, but it only made her sister’s fate that much worse.

For the first time the Neprijat king’s smile slipped and he growled at Giselle, shaking her like a doll. “Yes, I saw that, but the young Queen Adelina has not been officially crowned. You are still the official queen.”

Adelina glanced to Asher and by the way he clenched his jaw, she knew the situation was murky enough that the Neprijat king could make a case if he forced his way and demolished their armies.

“We do not recognize Giselle as a true royal,” Asher stated, and most of those lords and ladies nodded their agreement, but too many were silent and unmoving.

There were too many people in the room for Adelina to get an accurate reading on them. She glanced at Nadyah and the courtesan was pale enough she knew it was the same for her. Her people could easily turn on her if they were frightened enough.

“You would have to take Draga by force,” Varan agreed, stepping forward so his shoulder brushed hers ever so slightly.

The king ran his knuckles down Giselle’s face. “Oh I could if I really wanted to, but wouldn’t it be easier to simply bow before me with your own queen by my side?”

Adelina could see his words worming their way into the more frightened of her people and allies. All her ships had been outfitted with the wavelength that nullified the persuasion from the Neprijat, but could the king convince them regardless? Was he somehow different, a race apart like the courtesans or the Draga royals?

“I would rather die than be your queen,” Giselle spat, struggling to get out of the king’s grip, but it was clear how strong the male was. He barely even noticed and Giselle was no weakling.

Adelina was proud of her sister for refusing to give in, but those words…she closed her eyes for a moment, already knowing what the king would do next and she stupidly hadn’t anticipated this situation.

What would she do? Which path would Adelina choose?

“That is fine with me,” the king said with a chuckle. “Adelina, beautiful sweet Adelina, you have two choices.”

No one in the War Room even breathed as the king paused. Adelina knew she couldn’t get air in her body if she tried. Her heart was pounding too hard as her mind raced. Was there a way out of this?

“Bow before me, and be my wife, reign at my side as true Queen of the Galaxy. You may have your only sister back unharmed, and your people may live. If you do not, I will marry your sister regardless and rape her until she produces my offspring. Once the child is born I will feast upon her flesh. But more importantly, I will hunt down every single one of your people and exterminate them. Even the ones who are hiding inside those paltry shields. It won’t be long before I find a way to crack them like an egg to suck out the yolk inside.” The king chuckled as he eyed Giselle again. “It’s up to you, Adelina. Only you can decide their fate.” He eyed the others in the room with her and stressed his words. “Only you.”

Thank the Goddess that power of persuasion didn’t work over transmissions. After dealing with the king all these months…he liked to play power games. Everything he did was to force her into making a choice that would break her.

But he wanted it to be her choosing – so she couldn’t ever blame it on him. That was the kind of games he liked to play. Forcing Giselle to wed him was no fun. But having Adelina choose…

She was frozen. Adelina had no thoughts, no ideas, nothing in her mind but static as panic started to take hold. What in the bloody hells should she do?

There was still a small chance they could win this war. Kaita was still undetected or the king would have mentioned that as well as any rebel factions of Neprijat.

Their biggest assets were still a secret.

Adelina looked to Giselle and held her sister’s gaze, unblinking as she weighed that life against all the others. Could she live with herself if she sacrificed Giselle, even after everything she had done?

Would this make her any better than Giselle – taking the coward’s path?

There was still so much she wanted to say to her sister. Adelina had still held out hope that over time they could overcome their issues and become sisters once more, if not the close friends they’d once been. She would never have the chance to help Giselle grow as a person if she let the king have her.

And it may be selfish, but Adelina had wanted that time if only to hear her sister’s apology. If only so she could have that closure as they worked to rebuild their kingdom together – still there for each other, even if it would be different.

Could she lose another piece of her family and survive it?

Giselle stared into her eyes as well, completely still as Adelina contemplated her fate. Her sister kept all expressions from her face, and Adelina gave silent thanks she wasn’t trying to manipulate her decision. Giselle was smarter than that.

No one breathed while Adelina quietly stared at Giselle, not even Asher. The weight of her mate’s eyes on her back made her want to roll her shoulders, but she held so still she could be mistaken for a statue.

She needed more time – there was no possible way she could make this decision. Either way she lost. There was no good answer and Adelina’s heart hurt knowing that both choices would break her.

Then Giselle lifted her hands up, still bound, and scratched her chin. The king didn’t seem to notice, he was too busy studying Adelina. Then a slight flick of her sister’s fingers as she then moved to scratch under her ear.

I’m sorry for everything, Lina.

No.

Adelina almost said it aloud, but she was frozen – her body would not move or speak even as horror started to fill her, rolling through her body in waves. She was so very cold as Giselle’s fingers fluttered in those familiar movements before she scratched the scab on her chest.

I wish I had been better. If I had, I could have protected you from this. But I failed.

Adelina’s throat closed as tears pricked her eyes. She needed to open her mouth and say something, but she still didn’t have a response for the Neprijat king. Either way her sister died, just in different ways and at different points in time. There was no good answer, but whatever Giselle had planned would be so much worse.

Please forgive me, Giselle signed. Let me give you one last gift to try to repent.

Another flutter as Giselle’s nails flicked free. I love you. And I’m proud of you.

Then her sister glared up at the Neprijat king, full of so much Draga fire. “I refuse to let Adelina give up everything for me again. Nice try you bastard,” Giselle snarled.

But instead of turning on the king which he’d expected – shoving her away from him, her sister’s claws went for her own neck. They pierced deep and with one last look at Adelina, Giselle ripped out her own throat.

Blood sprayed the camera and the shocked king.

She didn’t scream or cry. Adelina simply dropped to her knees, letting the tears fall. It didn’t matter that everyone could see her. It didn’t matter to her that people were afraid, wondering what was going to happen to them next while her sister still choked on her own blood.

Giselle slumped to the ground, drenched in red and Adelina couldn’t see her anymore.

I love you too, Adelina signed. Too late even in that.

Even Asher had nothing to say.

And no one moved when the transmission cut out unexpectedly.

She was drowning.

Drowning in all the conflicting emotions that whipped around her like a violent, angry storm. It burned through the fear and indecision. All that remained was her grief, guilt, anger, and…gratitude.

Giselle had made the impossible choice for her. Adelina would grieve for her sister – but she would not be broken. Because Giselle hadn’t let her stain her soul.

Her mates were kneeling beside her, speaking in hushed tones, but Adelina ignored all of them as she let everything she was feeling settle deep into her bones. Asher was still standing, staring at the place where the holo had been – just as shaken as she, if in his own way.

Adelina could taste his grief on the air, could taste William’s as he placed a hand on Asher’s shoulder.

Ian’s emotions were nearly as conflicted and never-ending as her own. Nadyah slipped her hand in his for silent support.

She was aware of all of this and more as she stayed where she was, kneeling on the ground while the others whispered about what they were going to do.

Her sister had sacrificed herself to make up for what she’d done, to apologize to Adelina, and had made it count when they’d needed it most. Adelina would not waste the last gift her sister would ever give her, even if she mourned the reconciliation she’d secretly dreamed about – after all, Giselle had been her closest friend for twenty cycles – almost her entire life.

Adelina had hoped.

She would not let her other hopes and dreams crumble into ash like this one had.

In her mind she opened her arms and hugged that bottomless grief close, silently thanking Giselle and cursing her for not giving her more time to find another way – even if she knew there had been none.

Adelina tucked the grief and guilt away that would live with her for the rest of her life.

There were cracks in her heart, but Adelina was not broken.

The last of her tears dried on her face as the anger turned into a quiet, deadly rage. It was vast and powerful…it would help her end the creature that had taken so much from her.

Adelina stood and shook off her mates’ help. Through everything her crown had stayed in place and she stared at the table where the holo had been. Everyone went silent as they looked to her.

“Ready the warships. We give no quarter. We take no prisoners. Those marked with my crest are allies. Everyone and everything else will be destroyed. Be ready. Soon the beacon will go off and we will take back what is ours.” Adelina did not look at anyone. She just stared at that spot where Giselle had bled to death by her own hand.

It didn’t matter to her what anyone thought or what they had to say in that moment.

She flexed the full strength of her dominance without moving a muscle and everyone dropped to their knees. Everyone. Adelina was the only one in the room left standing.

It didn’t matter what they thought because they would obey.

Adelina turned on her heel and left the War Room.

Striding through her starship she went to the last place anyone would look for her. Slapping her hand to the door, her seal opened it without hesitation. P’draic looked up and blinked, clearly lost in his work without an inkling of what had just happened.

“Show me what you’ve discovered again,” she demanded.

P’draic instantly obeyed her command, moving before he even fully understood what she wanted. Then the display came up again with the statistics and formulas he’d worked on for days, showing her just a few hours ago the solution to the horde.

The solution she hadn’t been able to stomach so she’d shelved the idea for a safer one.

The practice run ran again and she watched the absolute destruction with grim satisfaction.

“You’re certain I will have time to get the females and babes out?”

P’draic shrugged as he watched it go through the steps again. “Theoretically, but much can happen in ten minutes. The window of opportunity will be very small. They get past this line and we’re through.” He pointed and Adelina filed that away with everything else.

“Make it happen,” she ordered. “Set it up here and here. You have two hours. Tell no one. You and only you will set this up. If someone discovers what it is we have planned it’s your life, P’draic.”

The male simply looked at her, not fazed by her new title or rank or tone. “This is something they’ll want to have,” he told her quietly.

Adelina studied P’draic. He was as familiar and comforting to her as Ian was – she’d known him for a decade now. They’d been friends and she hoped that they could still remain friends despite her new title. After all, he was the only one who didn’t treat her any differently if other than to do as she asked – gladly since she’d given him the resources and freedoms he’d always dreamed of.

“This weapon…I have to share it,” she told him. “I promised honesty.”

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Is that wise in this case?”

“It won’t matter if we don’t use it,” she said quietly, watching the program run again. “And if we survive, then perhaps we will all think twice about using it again.”

Without another word she took the key he handed her and turned to leave.

“Lina,” P’draic called out.

She paused at the door, having no idea where she would go or what she would do until that beacon lit and she could release her unending fury on her enemy. “Yes?”

“You’re making the right choice. Sacrifices have to be made to make room for other things to grow. If we don’t cut back the tree, the roots will choke the life from something else and all we will have is that tree.”

Adelina nodded.

Sacrifices had to be made.

And she wouldn’t let Giselle’s go to waste.