Chapter One

Neith

 

Minutes have passed and I’m still glued to the spot where I last saw Invier. I can’t bring myself to walk past the crumbling buildings and shattered bodies on the estate. Not without him by my side. Of all the things that have happened in the last few hours, this has been the toughest but I had to let Invier go to keep him alive.

 

It’s not Father I’m worried about. Although he ordered the deaths of Loic, James, and Mehrdad, he had justifiable reasons. He wanted revenge for the roles their fathers played in my mother’s death.

 

It would be illogical for Father to kill Invier. And now that I know he actually respects me, I’m confident I can sway him toward letting Invier and I be together.

 

There’s someone else who poses a threat to Invier—Adela. When she said she’d kill him if I couldn’t get him in line, I knew I had to do something. That wasn’t an idle threat. Having heard her discuss killing people with no remorse, I have no doubt she’d take Invier’s life if she thought he’d reveal her secrets.

 

Invier would never tell a soul what he learned this night. He loves me and wouldn’t hurt me or my nome that way. Still, as long as he’s not here, he won’t be a distraction and I’ll find a way to convince Father he can be trusted. Sure, sending him away was an extreme measure and Bel would agree if she was here instead of recovering from her injuries. She would tell me I took things too far and suggest a different way to handle the situation.

 

Even though she would be right, I had to make a split second decision and sending Invier away was my best option. There was no time to explain why or listen to him argue that I was only staying for the riches of my position. He needs to cool down for a few hours while I solve the Adela problem and make Father honor the terms of the Pursual—the Paladin becoming my mate. When I went to bed, there were only three remaining participants in the competition. Since then, one attacked my family’s estate while another killed scions in violation of the Pact and the competition’s rules. That eliminates them both, as far as I’m concerned.

 

Invier is the rightful Paladin and despite the hurtful things Father told him, I only need a little time to change Father’s mind. And if he disagrees, I’ll think of something drastic enough to bend him to my will. After all, he seems to appreciate that aspect of my personality.

 

Taking a deep breath, I turn my back on the spot where I broke Invier’s heart for the last time. Once Father is convinced, nobody will stop us from being together. And, I won’t have to choose between him and my responsibility to my nome. With a growing confidence, I take the first step in solidifying my desire to have Invier and my birthright—future Titane of Nome Reffour.

 

No one will stop me from maneuvering this situation to my advantage.

 

And with that thought, I take my first step back into the chaos that is my family estate. I pass my home and thank the stars it’s still standing. Other structures on the property were not as fortunate. I pass where the Participants Building used to be and it’s nothing but debris. My heart skips a beat as I recall the sorrow I felt when I thought Invier died in the collapse. I inhale a shuddering breath with my eyes closed. A mistake. Before I can stop my wandering thoughts, an image of Invier lifting off in Bel’s airship comes to mind. The look he gave me as he gawped out the window spelled several emotions. Betrayal. Fear. Disappointment. Disbelief. Anger. Hatred. Rage.

 

He’ll come to understand why I let him go when we see each other again. He forgave me after I lied and forced him into the Pursual. He forgave me even after I gave the Pass to Seth. Certainly, he’ll love me enough to forgive me once I’ve cleared all obstacles to our union.

 

I straighten my spine. There is work to be done. And with that, I move with renewed determination as I trudge past evidence of the cleanup underway. Dressed in their white uniforms, AI units lug away fragments from destroyed buildings. They lift with superhuman strength, making quick work of things. The human soldiers, dressed in black, grunt as they expend more effort to clear away fragments that the Phalanx barely spend minutes to move.

 

Each soldier, human or otherwise, freezes as I walk by and offers a curt salute. When I walk past the Phalanx, the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Although they saved the day, the Phalanx soldiers are an eerie sight with their faces obscured in helmets that reveal only their mouths. It’s strange not being able to see a soldier’s face.

 

Eventually, I come upon one with a shattered helmet and I realize why hiding their faces is necessary. The unit’s eyelets are nothing but a silver liquid that vacillates as I pass by, sending a shiver through me. As much as I want to look away, I just can’t. We’ll never convince the other nomes to overlook the Phalanx with them looking like that. I will have to make changes to their appearance, make them more palatable to the other families. Maybe that will help in the effort to convince the council they should be legal and if we get them legalized, they can’t be used as a weapon against us.

 

Deep in my thoughts, I don’t realize I’ve arrived at the narthex until its doors slide open and Adela stomps out. She draws in a shocked breath.

 

“Your father said you left.”

 

“I decided to stay.”

 

“And lover boy?”

 

My shoulders tense. There’s a threat of violence in those seemingly simple three words.

 

I sidestep her and cross the room. The narthex is pristine. All evidence of Portan’s death is gone. I force back the gory scene of his death as my eyes stray to the spot where Bel lay unconscious from her wounds. It is clean. And where Mehrdad blasted a bullet into Invier’s hand is a shining wooden surface. The only thing that remains of the earlier violence, is the tiny gun Mehrdad had brandished. It sits discarded on the eastern table.

 

“Invier?” Father asks as I step into his office. Our head of security, Landen Sohr, is no longer in the office, replaced by Father’s personal AI assistant, Aina, which stands on his left.

 

“He won’t be a problem.”

 

From behind me, Adela asks in an icy tone, “How can you be so sure? The only guarantee is if he dies.”

 

I glare at her. The audacity to suggest someone else would reveal tonight’s secrets when it was she who exposed them all.

 

Father rounds the table and cups my chin in his hand. His touch is warm and gentle. It’s something I don’t recall him doing to me. I relax into his hand as I begin to feel the tell-tale signs of exhaustion.

 

“It’s been a whirlwind of a night and I know this is not an easy decision. However, it’s the kind you will repeatedly face when you become Titane.” His golden pupils peer into mine. “Didn’t you say you wanted to play a more decisive role in our nome?”

 

Does he agree with Adela that Invier must die to protect their treachery?

 

“I understand.” Those words are for me as much as they are for him.

 

“Good. We’ll discuss Invier later. I’ve called for a council meeting in a few hours and we must prepare.” His hand falls to my shoulder, which he squeezes as if to reassure me everything will be okay. Will it?

 

“Are you ready to get to work, dear?” he asks, squinting into my face, concern showing on the lines of his forehead.

 

“Yes.” At that moment, I know what to do.

 

“It’s time I updated my father on tonight’s events,” Adela says from behind me. Her shoes pad against the wooden floor as she heads out of the office.

 

Although his hand is still on my shoulder, Father’s tenderness chills.

 

“Wait,” he says. “I haven’t heard your take on tonight.”

 

“What’s there to say, your Phalanx soldiers saved the day…” She jabbers on. When I sent Invier off, my plan was to impress upon Father why we can’t trust Adela. She revealed his treacherous plans to not only myself but Bel and Invier.

 

That put our nome in jeopardy, especially as the estate was crawling with enemies who could have overheard at the time. She also revealed my relationship with Invier to Mehrdad. Surely, if confronted, she’d claim it was a stalling tactic but I watched that scene play out live and know it for what it was. Cowardice. She was saving herself at Invier’s expense. At my expense. And if I do a good enough job, Father will agree her cowardice was at our nome’s expense. Such weakness is undesirable in a future co-Titane for Nome Reffour.

 

I won’t let her convince Father that Invier is a threat.

 

My feet move on their own accord and I step into the narthex. My time there is brief and Father is firing question after question when I return to his side.

 

By the time either of them notice, it’s too late.

 

The first bullet strikes her in the left shoulder.

 

Adela looks down at the reddening hole. Her eyes bulge when she looks back at me.

 

I dare not look at him, for fear of losing my nerve, but I can feel Father’s gaze on me.

 

The next bullet pierces her abdomen and her lips fall open. She makes a small sound. Blood pumps from the wound and she stagger backward, clutching herself as if to keep her innards from tumbling out.

 

She stumbles and falls, landing on a knee with a hand to the floor to brace herself.

 

I step forward. Confused gray eyes watch my approach and for a split second, guilt stalls my advance. I wish I could explain to her why she has to die. Something tells me she would agree with the logic—to keep Invier and my nome safe, she and her loose lips have to go.

 

My eyes are shut when I squeeze the trigger for the third time. A loud thud tells me she’s slumped to the shiny black floor. I lower the gun and spin to face Father.

 

Amazement and pride contours his features.

 

“I’ve always worried that you wouldn’t have what it takes to someday run this nome. You have proven me wrong. You are ruthless enough for the task, my dear.”

 

He continues to shower me with praise while my heart hammers and my hands tremble violently. I never realized shooting someone would be such a terrifying experience. But, I had to do it. She had to die for Invier. For me. For my nome.

 

“Aina, prepare that body to be returned to Nome Seltan. As she was shot with Mehrdad’s gun, ensure his prints are the only ones on it. We’ll tell her father he killed her.” Father takes the gun, handing it to his AI.

 

His warm fingers wrap around my hand as he leads me out into the hallway. “This is a precarious time for our family, so you rising up to the challenge of leadership at this time is crucial.”

 

Sucking in air, I try to steady my pulse. We stroll past photos of my ancestors on the cream walls of the hall.

 

“That the Cyras could do this means they were confident they would win and assured of little to no retribution from the council.” Father scratches at the ebony hairs above his mouth. “If that’s the case, it means our family isn’t feared and someone else might attempt a repeat of tonight. We must get the Phalanx legalized immediately. Our control over such a force will give any other aggressors pause.”

 

I tug him to a stop. “Father, you say I’m capable of running our nome. If you mean it, then you must also believe I’m capable of choosing who will be by my side when that time comes.”

 

Although I don’t mention Invier’s name, I know Father understands exactly what I’m talking about. My pulse is a frenzied beat in my ears as I wait for his response.

 

Still dragging fingers through his black mustache, he lets out a long breath. “Neith, I don’t—”

 

“I sent him away for his own good, but bringing him back will be to our benefit. If he returns and I’m permitted to be with him, his family will be one less possible rival.” My voice is nothing more than a puff of air and still, it’s laced in desperation. “If your concerns are correct—that others knew and supported the Cyra attack—then we need to make more friends.”

 

With long, dark fingers, he pinches the bridge of his nose. Eyes closed. When he drops his hand and opens his eyes, he nods firmly. “Okay. If you believe he’s the one—”

 

There’s a squeal that’s surely from me as I loop my arms around his neck in a grateful hug. “Thank you!”

 

His shoulders are stiff at first but he soon eases into the hug, wrapping his arms around me.