I tapped on Bianca’s door before I could talk myself out of it. Alex had offered to come with me, but I needed to do this on my own. The door slid open and Bianca called a greeting from inside.
I steeled my spine against the desire to run away. It did not help, but I managed to step across the threshold, and after that, it got easier.
It became easier still once I caught sight of Bianca’s radiant face. In the last few months, she’d emerged from the darkness that had shadowed her soul since her marriage to Gregory. She’d gained weight as well and she glowed with health and happiness.
“Coffee or alcohol?” she asked.
“Alcohol. Dealer’s choice.”
She poured us each a generous glass of sangria from the pitcher in her fridge, then waved me to the sofa. I sat, fidgeting with my glass.
“Did you talk to Alexander?” she asked softly. When I nodded, she continued, “And you have questions about the Genesis Project?”
I started to shake my head, but then I swallowed and blurted out, “I’m like them.”
Stone-cold silence settled before Bianca made an anguished sound. “Oh, Cat, I’m so sorry that I didn’t see it, that I didn’t protect you. You must’ve felt so alone. No wonder your mask was so strong.”
I risked a peek at her. Her face was filled with love, not hate, and deep regret.
“I don’t know if you can ever forgive me, but I am so, so sorry,” she said, her tone heartbroken.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“I should’ve known when you got sick that something was going on, but the doctors assured us they had it under control. And you were always such a cheerful little tyke, even when you weren’t feeling well.”
“You don’t think I’m an abomination?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
She set her glass aside and put her hand on my shoulder so she could squarely meet my eyes. “Never. I would never think that. I think you’re amazing. Strong, brave, perfect.” She struggled with something for a second, then said, “Gregory experimented on me.”
“What? How?”
She breathed out a sigh and wiped her eyes. “Okay, that was harder than I expected. I was right—you are brave and amazing.”
“Bianca,” I demanded, “what did he do?”
“He modified my nanos and gave me a brain implant. I can mentally decode wireless transmissions.” Now it was her turn to peek at me. “I haven’t told anyone else, except Ian.”
“That’s why you were so sick,” I said. “Gregory was hurting you. That fucker better be glad he’s dead because I’ve recently learned how to use my strength to maximum effect.”
“You don’t care that I can eavesdrop on wireless messages?” she asked carefully.
“You don’t care that I can see in the dark and break bones with my bare hands?”
“You’re my sister; I’d love you even if you sprouted horns and a tail. A little extra strength and some night vision isn’t anything to get worked up about.”
“Exactly. You’re my sister. I love you. But I wish you’d told me so I could kick your worthless husband’s ass.”
“It seems we both kept secrets for too long. Tell me everything.”
I told her what I knew and what Alex suspected. She confirmed that I hadn’t gotten sick until my fourth birthday, and she promised to look into the House records to see if she could find anything relating to me specifically.
“I think we should tell the others,” she said at last. “Both of us.”
Blind panic closed my throat.
“It doesn’t have to be today, but I think it should be soon. I’ve hidden long enough. So have you. Father is dead, and Ferdinand will never use us as weapons. Just think about it.”
“I will,” I promised weakly. I knew she was right, but that didn’t stop my instinctive reaction. “Please let me know if you find anything.”
She nodded and let me flee.
ALEX MOVED INTO MY SUITE AND IT FELT LIKE HE’D ALWAYS been there. We christened every horizontal surface at least once. I couldn’t keep my hands off him, and he, luckily, felt the same.
During the day, we helped rebuild House von Hasenberg or Serenity, but the nights—the nights were ours.
A week passed in a blur, and then, two weeks after the initial attack, the Royal Consortium was set to meet for the first time. Before they did, Bianca, Ying, and I met in Bianca’s suite to go over the information we’d uncovered.
Rather, it was supposed to be just the three of us, but then Ferdinand showed up with Evelyn Rockhurst. Then the rest of my brothers and sisters just happened to “drop by” along with Ian, Loch, Alex, and Aoife.
Alex grinned at me, then went to stand near the other three he’d come in with. He and Loch were both big and muscled, but I had eyes only for Alex.
Next to me, Ying sighed wistfully. I knew that sigh, so I followed her gaze to the little group around Alex. Aoife grinned and tipped her head in greeting, and a hint of color touched Ying’s cheeks.
When Ying noticed my knowing grin, she blushed harder. “You should’ve seen her in action. It was incredible. Beautiful and deadly. And far too good for me.” Before I could comment, Ying shook herself and her mask reappeared, hiding her true feelings. “I thought we agreed this was going to be a small meeting to get our facts straight.”
I let her change the subject. “I thought so, too, but this has Bianca’s handiwork written all over it. If you’re uncomfortable sharing what we’ve found in front of so many, we can reschedule.”
Ying shook her head. “No, it’s going to come out sooner or later. Might as well be now, with people I know.” She eyed Evelyn, who sat beside Ferdinand. “Are those two . . . ?” She waved her hands together.
I grinned and dipped my head slightly. “They’re keeping it quiet.”
Ying rolled her eyes. “Not when they look at each other like that.”
She had a point. My usually stoic brother did look rather besotted, and Evelyn’s cool facade warmed every time she glanced at him.
Bianca stood and the room quieted. “You know why we’re all here,” she said. She turned to me. “Cat, bring everyone up to speed on what happened with House James.” At my questioning look, she nodded. “All of it. We all need to be on the same page.”
I stood. No one questioned my ability to deliver a critical report, and my confidence rose. “House James bought Hannah’s husband’s gambling contracts, then leaned on him to sign over mineral rights in Antlia. Since he couldn’t do that unless Hannah was the heir, he took out a contract on Ferdinand’s life with the Syndicate.”
“So why didn’t they kill Ferdinand?” Benedict asked. He flashed Ferdinand an apologetic grimace, but our older brother waved him off.
“Insurance or blackmail potential, most likely. I believe they only planned to keep him around until they got what they wanted. Luckily, Bianca got there before that happened.”
I looked down to Ying and she nodded her permission. Hitoshi had vanished in the chaos after the attack, much to Ying’s consternation, so in a show of trust, she’d let Bianca into their House network to figure out where he might have gone. Bianca had found a great deal more than that.
Combined with the information from the data chip from House James—which had been unlocked with the key from Joseph—we had a nearly complete time line of treachery.
“Hitoshi Yamado has been working with the Silva family for years. He’s also been collecting lower house allies, including House James, by making them grand promises of wealth and power. Once House von Hasenberg and House Rockhurst went to war, Hitoshi seized the moment, especially after he learned what the war was really about. He asked House James to lean on Pierre, and then suggested Silva might solve Pierre’s problem.”
Hitoshi had been trying to lock down the supply of alcubium, the mineral required for faster FTL travel. He’d nearly succeeded. If not for Bianca’s information network and quick thinking, we would be having a very different meeting.
“He expected the attack on Ferdinand to intensify the war. When Bianca found the connection to Riccardo Silva instead, they had to push up their time line. They’d wanted von Hasenberg and Rockhurst to fight longer, so we’d be weaker opponents, but they decided on a more direct approach.”
“Attacking Serenity and the rest of the High House heirs,” Ferdinand said.
I nodded. “The Silva family wants the Syndicate to run the universe, but they can’t do that as long as the Royal Consortium still stands. However, take out two of the High Houses, partner with the third, and suddenly taking over is much easier in the resulting power vacuum. The lower houses who aren’t in on it might protest but they’ll just get rolled over.”
“Hitoshi can’t be stupid enough to think the Syndicate will leave him in power,” Evelyn said.
“Hitoshi isn’t stupid,” Ying said. “He’s likely got some sort of backup plan or he’s working a double-cross. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s brilliant, ruthless, and ambitious. He doesn’t care who he crushes on his way to the top.”
“Where is he?” Evelyn asked.
Ying shook her head. “I don’t know. He survived the initial attack, that much I know for sure. But once it looked like the RCDF was going to take back Serenity, he vanished. His battle cruiser was captured, so he must be on his personal ship. I tried tracking it, with no success.”
Evelyn tilted her head, considering Ying. “And how do we know you’re not working with him?”
“She’s not,” Bianca said. “She let me into their network, and she’s not good enough to hide information from me.” Bianca smiled apologetically at Ying before turning back to the group. “Hitoshi was trying to frame her—clumsily—but as far as I can tell, she is not working with him or Silva. And Hitoshi asked Riccardo Silva to ensure that Ying died along with Cat while they were at House James.”
Ying sucked in a quiet breath. She either hadn’t known, or hadn’t expected Bianca to find that piece of information.
Evelyn sat back, satisfied by Bianca’s answer.
“Does anyone have any questions?” I asked. My gaze landed on Alex’s handsome face and he smiled in encouragement.
“Many,” Benedict said quietly, “but most important: where do we go from here?”
“I think we can all agree that the Syndicate can’t be allowed to take over.” Every head nodded. “So we need to do everything we can to drive them back into the darkness and ensure that they retain as little power as possible. We also have a unique opportunity to change the universe for the better, so I say we do that, too. I know you all have ideas.”
Murmured agreement met my words.
“Let’s make those ideas happen. Let’s make them all happen.”
PEOPLE TRICKLED OUT AS THEY LEFT TO GET READY FOR the Royal Consortium meeting. Alex joined me and brushed a soft kiss over my lips. “Nicely done.”
“Thank you. I have something for you. And for Aoife.”
Alex waved her over. “What’s up?” she asked.
While going through the encrypted data chip from House James, Bianca and I had talked about what to do with the three credit chips I’d recovered and the fortune they contained. The money had been meant to ensure that Ying and I did not leave House James alive. Because we had, with the help of Alex, Aoife, and Cira, we’d decided it was best to split the money five ways.
I handed Alex and Aoife each a credit chip. “We recovered three chips from House James. This is your share. Do not lose it. And you might not want to carry it around, either.”
I’d transferred my share to a secure account and planned to set up a charitable foundation with it, perhaps for children with true genetic issues. Or maybe I’d found a research center to look into genetic research that helped rather than hurt. I hadn’t decided, but I knew that I wanted to do something good with this money that had come from a very dark place.
Alex tried to hand his back while Aoife asked, “How much is on here?”
“A lot.” I smacked Alex’s hands away when he tried to tuck the chip in my clothes after I refused to take it back. “Stop it. You earned it. You helped rescue Ferdinand. You saved me multiple times. You stormed Earth with me despite the fact that you thought my plan was crazy. You earned every credit. If you don’t want it, share it with your friends. Set yourself up as a lower house. Buy a ship. Do something with it, but I won’t take it back.”
Aoife stared at me for a few seconds, then nodded and slipped the chip in an inner pocket. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She left with another nod. Alex was not so easy to persuade. “Take it back.”
“Alex, I love you, but I’m not taking it back. It’s yours.”
When I wouldn’t let him get close until he put the chip away, he tucked it into a zippered pocket, and then tugged me against his chest. “What if it was ours?”
I tried to keep my expression serious but a smile kept tugging on my lips. “I suppose that would be acceptable.”
“I love you. Marry me.”
I laughed, delighted. “Well, since you asked so nicely . . .”
He dropped to one knee and gently grasped my left hand. “Catarina von Hasenberg, you are my everything. You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You are my first thought when I wake and my last thought before I sleep. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
I heard a gasp from somewhere behind me, but I could only nod around the lump in my throat. Alex slipped a gorgeous ring on my finger. It fit perfectly. The ring blurred around the edges as I blinked away tears.
Alex stood and I dragged him into a heated kiss. “I love you, you incredible, amazing man, even if you did make me cry.”
“I’ll make it up to you later,” he said, his voice a deep, velvet rumble.
“I’m holding you to that,” I promised.
ALEX AND I MANAGED TO ESCAPE FROM FAMILY AND friends—many of whom had returned to Bianca’s to wish us well when they heard about the proposal—just long enough to change into clothes appropriate for the Royal Consortium chambers.
Bianca had carefully massaged the data we had on Hitoshi’s betrayal, stripping out the mentions of his allies; we would deal with them later. She’d submitted all of the evidence and now we had to wait for the wheels of justice to turn—slowly.
But today wasn’t about Hitoshi, it was about tradition. The long rectangular Royal Consortium chamber slowly filled with representatives of the lower houses. And the RCDF was out in force, ensuring that another attack wouldn’t happen on this important day.
House von Hasenberg crowded into our box. The whole family—including Ian, Loch, and Alex—had turned out to show our support, but Ferdinand sat front and center.
To our left, Tae and Ying Yamado sat next to each other in silence. Tae had been injured in the attack and still wore a bandage around his head. Their mother had secluded herself in mourning. Ying’s face was a calm ocean.
To our right, Evelyn Rockhurst sat in the front of her box, several of her siblings and her father behind her. On the dais at the head of the room, the three seats for the High Councillors remained empty.
Alex clasped my hand and rubbed a soothing thumb over my knuckles. The ring was an unfamiliar weight that I couldn’t stop admiring. Alex caught my gaze and raised my hand to his lips. He pressed a gentle kiss on the back of it and heat licked through me everywhere.
“Behave,” I whispered.
He winked. “Never.”
The Speaker called the meeting to order, then droned on and on about tradition and honor and I don’t know what else. I tuned out until Ferdinand was called to stand. With Father’s death, Ferdinand would officially become the High Councillor of House von Hasenberg.
“If anyone has a reason Lord Ferdinand should not be given this position, speak now,” the Speaker intoned.
Lord Henderson rose and cleared his throat. “Albrecht promised Ca—”
“Sit down,” Wilma Sollorz interrupted. “Before you embarrass yourself.”
Henderson rounded on her, but found no sympathy from his fellow Consortium members. Pippa August shot him a withering glare. In fact, half the room glared. I never knew I had so many allies. Henderson found himself facing a wall of opposition.
He dropped back into his seat with a snarl. Next to him, his daughter stared straight ahead.
The chamber fell silent.
Ferdinand took his place on the dais. The Speaker went through the same process again with Evelyn Rockhurst. She took her seat on the dais and smiled at Ferdinand. He smiled back.
The Speaker turned back to the chamber. “As you all know, serious charges have been levied against Lord Hitoshi Yamado. Until the investigation is complete, we will appoint a temporary High Councillor from House Yamado. Tae Yamado, please rise.”
Ying’s knuckles whitened as she clenched her hands into fists.
“If anyone has a reason Lord Tae should not be given this position, speak now,” the Speaker said.
Ying sat serenely, head held high, but I knew what it cost her to stay silent. She loved her brother enough to kill her dreams for his. I wanted so badly to go to her. Alex squeezed my fingers and I realized I had a death grip on his hand. I forced my fingers to go slack.
Then Tae Yamado spoke. “I do,” he said simply. “I abdicate. Lady Ying is far better suited to leading House Yamado into a prosperous future than I am. I yield my position to her so that I may focus on my wife and upcoming child.”
Murmurs broke out around the room, both at the unexpected abdication and at the announcement that Tae and his wife were expecting a child.
Ying smiled at her brother, her face shining with fierce love. She’d known. I’d worried for nothing. Tae and Ying had always been close, so I shouldn’t be surprised that they’d talked.
The Speaker pounded his gavel. “This is very unusual,” he said at last.
Tae stood straight and proud. “I know. It is an unusual day. But I believe my sister is the best person for the job.” He drew Ying up and kissed her on the cheek, then took his seat.
I clapped, too delighted to stick to decorum. My family joined me and soon the whole room thundered with applause. Even those I knew to be traitors clapped, albeit unenthusiastically.
The Speaker pounded his gavel until the room quieted. “Very well. If anyone has a reason that Lady Ying should not be given this temporary position, speak now.”
I glared at the man for the completely unnecessary reminder that Hitoshi was still out there somewhere. Then I switched my glare to the room, daring anyone to object. No one did.
Ying took her position on the dais, her smile radiant.
The three new High Councillors rose as one and the crowd cheered. The lower houses had no idea what was about to happen, and many of them would not appreciate the changes. Ferdinand, Evelyn, and Ying had their work cut out for them, but for the first time in many years, and hand in hand with the incredible man beside me, I was excited to see what the future would bring.
And maybe I would have that meeting Bianca wanted sooner rather than later. We all deserved to live our lives free of secrets and shadows.
I pulled Alex into a celebratory kiss and he stole my breath. “Congratulations, princess, you did it,” he murmured.
“We did it,” I corrected. “And I can’t wait to see what we do next.”