Darling swapped out his charges before they ran out of juice. "We're on our way."

As they rounded a corner, a group of assassins opened fire. Darling shielded her while Maris covered Ture. Making sure to keep himself between her and the volley, Darling returned their attack. "I could really use the tricom right now."

"Sorry. It was broken when I was taken."

"Figures." Darling cleared the assassins, then nodded to Maris.

They started moving again.

Slowly, they made their way down the hall until they met up with Nemesis who was helping a large group of prisoners get to safety.

Zarya's panic welled up inside her as she remembered what had happened the last time Nemesis had been in a room with her.

He'd tossed her to Jayne.

"Is everyone out?" Darling asked the legendary killer.

Nemesis nodded. "The last group is coming down behind you."

Zarya gaped in disbelief. Even with the distortion added to disguise his voice, she recognized Nykyrian's syntax and tone.

Now there was a billion credits worth of knowledge. His was the most guarded identity of any Sentella member.

Now she understood why.

Just as her group joined theirs and she saw some of the people who'd been kidnapped with her, the walls around them flickered.

Kyr's face flashed, then enlarged to the size of the walls that worked as a transmission monitor.

Talk about creepy. She felt like she'd stumbled into a horror story.

And Kyr was furious over the attack. "Do you know who I am?"

Nykyrian snorted derisively. "We know. We just don't give a shit."

Curling his lip, Kyr raked him with a repugnant glare. "You have breached the sanctity of one of our prisons. Have you any idea the sentence you've brought down on your heads?"

Now it was Darling's turn to scoff. "Add it to the other twelve dozen death sentences we carry."

A tic started in Kyr's jaw. "I don't think you truly understand the magnitude of what you're doing. Return my prisoners to their cells or-"

"Fuck. You," Darling snarled, punctuating each word.

Kyr's nostrils flared while he did an amazing job of keeping his temper under control. "Those prisoners do not belong to you. They are League property. You have absolutely no right to them."

Before anyone realized what he was doing, Darling snatched his helmet off and threw it to the ground so hard, it bounced three feet high.

Kyr held the same shocked expression Zarya was pretty sure they all held. Every gerent and Resistance worker around her was rendered speechless and spellbound by Kere's real identity.

Fearless, Darling went straight up to the wall on the right and leveled a killing glare at Kyr. "The hell you say. They are my people, not yours. You sent your army into my territory and took not just my citizens, but my consort. How dare you!"

Kyr gave Zarya a look that said she hadn't bathed in a month or more. "She's not your consort."

Darling shook his head in denial. "She wears my ring and was officially bound to me when we were children-something sanctified and approved by your predecessor."

Zarya gasped at his unexpected disclosure. Was any of that true? She was desperate to know, but didn't dare interrupt them.

"By all laws," Darling continued, "she is my consort. And five minutes after I get her home, she will officially be my wife."

Kyr arched a daring brow. "So you're declaring war on us, then."

Zarya inwardly cringed as she realized what Darling had done.

For her.

The moment he'd yanked his helmet off and allowed Kyr to know Kere's identity, he'd legally declared war on the League.

Now, there was no going back.

But Darling was nothing, if not a brilliant politician. "Interesting concept. I would say that you declared it on us when you marched your army into our empire and destroyed our property, then kidnapped our citizens. And now we're answering it. No one seizes my people. I don't care who you think you are."

"We were invited in by your own council who wanted you removed from power."

"Were you?" Darling asked with a hint of laughter in his voice. "That's not what I heard. In fact, I have the entire CDS who will swear they never asked for you to intervene. That you took it upon yourself to attack us."

"Do you really think they'll back you over me?"

Darling grinned evilly. "Since they declared me emperor, yeah, I do."

"You have no idea what you're unleashing right now, verikon."

Zarya wasn't sure what that word meant, or the language it belonged to, but from Darling's reaction, it was obvious he knew it well.

"And neither do you, ciratile. You ever try this shit again with me and mine, and I will rape and plunder the village, and burn the motherfucker to the ground..." He looked around at the bodies on the floor. "And as you've seen here today, there ain't nothing you bitches can do to stop me. Talk is cheap. Pain is free. And I'm peddling the shit out of it. So you come on and get some."

Kyr laughed as if he relished the thought. "War it is. Good luck, Emperor." He sneered that title. "No one will ever support you in this. You're about to find out what happens to nations that fight alone."

Nykyrian jerked his helmet off and moved to stand beside Darling. "You would be wrong there, Zemen. Not only does he have the full backing of Nemesis and the Sentella, he has that of my people. From both sides. Human and Andarion."

"And you can add mine to it, too," Caillen said as he exposed his face. "The Exeterians fear nothing, and I'm pretty sure the Qillaqs will back us, too. After all, they love a good fight. The bigger, the bloodier, the better."

Fain, Ryn, and Chayden didn't expose their faces, but they stood shoulder to shoulder behind Darling. "The Tavali will always fight and back the Sentella, especially against the League."

Kyr took a full minute before he spoke again. "All of you will regret this."

Darling smirked. "The war is on. Can't wait for our first dance."

An instant later, the screens went dark.

"How rude!" Jayne tsked. "It's a good thing he's on the other side of the universe, otherwise, I'd have to hunt him down and school him."

Syn let out an evil laugh. "Yes, but not rude on his part." He held up his wrist computer. "I killed the feed. Five more seconds of looking at him and I'd have hurled." He turned his attention to Darling. "Remind me later that we really need to send you to anger management therapy."

Darling widened his eyes innocently at Syn as he pulled Zarya against him. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Rit. I'm all good."

"Yeah, but we're not," Hauk said. "We just got busted."

Fain draped an arm around Hauk's shoulders. "We're not busted, little brother. Only the morons who showed their faces." He passed a pointed stare to Nykyrian, Darling, Syn, and Caillen.

Caillen shrugged. "What the hell? I never liked feeling safe, anyway. That's for old women."

Jayne came down the stairs, holding Nero against her.

Darling rushed toward them. "What happened?"

"He protected me and got shot."

"I'll be fine," Nero said with a grimace.

"Thought you weren't psychic," Darling reminded him.

"I'm not. But I know my body and right now, my head really hates you, Dar." Nero winced in pain as he met Zarya's gaze. "Don't worry. You're both fine."

She burst into tears, then rushed to hug him in a way that made Darling jealous. "Thank you! I've been so scared."

Why was she hugging Nero over the fact that she and he were safe?

Nero patted her on the back, then stepped away. "Darling? You really should show her those papers you found."

Darling sighed. "I hate it when you do that."

"I know. Now I need to lie down for a few decades."

Hauk took over from Jayne and draped Nero's arm around his shoulders. "Let's all get out of here before reinforcements come. Kyr may be on the other side of the universe, but not all of his army is with him."

Darling agreed. They had a lot of civilians to take care of. The last thing they needed was to fight more League soldiers with them in the way.

While the others left, Darling walked slowly toward Zarya. She looked so tired and pale. But even with those ugly bruises marring her face, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "Are you all right, baby?"

She bit her lip. "Funny you should use that word... According to Nero, I'm pregnant."

For a full ten seconds, he couldn't breathe as those words sank in. And here he'd stupidly thought that Nero was talking about the two of them. "Are you sure?"

"Nero swears he's not wrong."

And he wouldn't be...

Zarya was pregnant.

Undefined emotions ripped through him all at once. Stark terror. Panic. But above all was a joy so profound it left him reeling.

He was going to be a father...

Have a baby.

And that thought brought a tidal wave of pain crashing down around him. "I saw a photo of you dead, Zarya. I thought I'd lost you." He couldn't keep his voice from cracking. "I came here only to avenge you, and to die. Now..." He placed his shaking hand over her stomach where his child was growing inside her. "Now you tell me that you're pregnant... why in the name of the gods did you leave the palace in that condition?"

She clutched his hand in both of hers and pressed it flat, wishing they could feel the baby move. But most of all, she wanted him to understand how much he meant to her. "Because you were in danger. I didn't want to lose you. Not after what I went through when I couldn't find you. I thought that if I went to the Resistance, I'd be able to talk sense into them. I had no idea they were under League surveillance, or that the League was planning an attack on them."

He wanted to choke her for that. But most of all, he wanted to kiss her and make love to her until neither one of them could walk. "I knew they were under surveillance, and that the League was going to attack them. If you'd only told me be-"

"You would have insisted on coming with me. And that wouldn't have gone over well with them. I had to go alone. I'm sorry."

"I hate it when you're right." But he was so grateful to have her back. Alive. Nothing else mattered. He brushed his hand over her bruised cheek. "Who hit you?"

"You killed him in the hallway."

"I wish I'd known who it was. I'd have made it hurt a lot more."

Zarya kissed his lips as joy tore through her. "You're being so reasonable about all of this that it scares me."

"I promise, I'm going to be mad later. Right now, I'm just so relieved to have you with me that you have a free pass to do anything you want."

She clutched him against her and inhaled the warm, masculine scent of his skin. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Coming to get me. And I'm so incredibly sorry for everything that was done to you while you were in our custody. I know I've said it before, but it's never enough. And now, after all of this... I fully understand why you can never trust me. But I swear to you, on the life of everything I hold sacred, that I will never, ever, ever, ever leave you alone again. Not even if you beg me to."

He kissed her breathless. "You have nothing to apologize for, Zarya."

She knew better. "That's your relief still talking." She kissed the tip of his nose. "But that's okay. I still love you."

"And I love you." He scooped her up in his arms, and started down the hallway.

"What are you doing?"

"Attempting to sweep you off your feet. Is it working?"

She smiled at him. "Honey, you did that the minute I saw you in my cell."

"Good. 'Cause you stole my heart the first time you looked up at me."

"I stole it?"

He flashed a wicked grin. "Good point. I gave it to you. I just hope you learn to take better care of it than the rings I keep buying you."