Page 91 of Nansar
"As you already know," I pressed on, "a few months ago, I was rescued. President Bradford and her mate Rickon made that possible." Gratitude swelled in my chest at the memory. "When we learned Hewes had escaped during transport to a prison planet, we came up with a plan. We would use me as bait to draw him out of hiding." I paused, my teeth grinding together as I fought back the surge of emotion. "I have no doubt it was Hewes who destroyed the Alliance vessel I was traveling on. But the crew—they saved me. They got me into an escape pod and sent it to Palaydium before..."
I couldn't finish. Didn't need to.
"That's when I met her," Nansar said, his voice rough. He picked up the thread of our story, and I was grateful for the reprieve. "As you are aware, Father contacted me for help. I was more than willing to give it." His eyes found mine, and the smile that curved his lips transformed his entire face, filling it with such warmth that my breath caught. He didn't mention our time with the Welati—that belonged to us alone, sacred and private. "Hewes tracked Chloe to Palaydium. He arrived in a Trogvyk ship, along with Trogvyk and Romvesian mercenaries." His blue-green eyes flashed with remembered fury, with the violence of that day. "But my friend Ahrick and I fought them. I would not—could not—allow him to harm Chloe ever again."
My heart clenched, remembering how close I'd come to losing him in that fight. How his blood had stained the ground.
"The Alliance shuttle arrived during the battle," I added, my voice barely above a whisper. "They destroyed Hewes's transport and killed most of the mercenaries. Declan tried to kill me but Nansar,” I blinked away the tears, my hand tightening on his. “Nansar nearly gave his life saving me. As far as we know, Declan's still trapped on Palaydium."
The Prime's expression shifted, growing grave. Shadows seemed to deepen in the lines of her face. "We have been monitoring Palaydium closely since your rescue," she said, her fingers steepling before her in a gesture that spoke of careful consideration. "The force fields surrounding the planet have been strengthened significantly. Multiple redundancies have been put in place." She paused, and I felt hope kindle in my chest. "I can confirm that Hewes has not left the surface."
Relief washed through me like cool water, but it was fleeting.
"However," the Prime continued, and that single word dropped like a stone, "as long as he has spies embedded within the Alliance council, he remains a significant danger. He may be trapped, but he is far from powerless." Her gaze swept across all of us, touching each face in turn. "A man with resources, connections, and nothing to lose is perhaps the most dangerous kind of enemy. He's a cornered animal, and those are always the most vicious."
Nansar's hand tightened around mine, his warmth steadying me even as a chill ran down my spine. Hewes was contained, yes. But not defeated. Not destroyed. And as long as he drew breath, we would never truly be safe.
The Prime's attention shifted to Nansar, her penetrating gaze settling on him with an intensity that made the air itself seem to thicken. My stomach twisted into knots.
"Nansar," she said, and in that single word, I heard the weight of judgment.
My heart plummeted.
The words exploded from me before rational thought could intervene. "Are you going to send him back? To Palaydium?" I couldn't keep the desperation from my voice. "Because if you are, I'm going with him."
"Chloe—" Nansar's protest died as I squeezed his hand with fierce determination.
"I mean it," I said, lifting my chin and meeting the Prime's extraordinary eyes without flinching. "He's my mate. Where he goes, I go. You'll have to send us both back to that hellhole."
Surprise rippled across the Prime's features—a crack in her otherwise impenetrable composure—but before she could formulate a response, my father moved forward.
"Lady Prime," he said, his voice carrying the perfect balance of deference and unwavering resolve. "I would like to formally request clemency for Nansar." His eyes found mine for a heartbeat, something tender and proud flickering there, before returning to the Prime. "When I heard what he did—how he shielded my daughter from harm, kept her alive when death stalked them at every turn, sacrificed himself in the battle against Hewes—" His voice caught, emotion threatening to break through. "He risked everything for her. Everything. Those are not the actions of a bad male."
The Prime fell silent, her gaze traveling deliberately between Dad, me, and Nansar. Duke Ako and Duchess Helene remained quiet, but hope blazed in their eyes like twin stars. The silence expanded, filling every corner of the room until I thought the pressure of it might shatter me.
"Clemency," the Prime said at last, rolling the word across her tongue as if testing its flavor, "is not a gift I bestow lightly." She paused, and beside me, Nansar went absolutely rigid, everymuscle coiled tight as a spring. "However, neither am I fool enough to dismiss the testimony of those whose judgment I trust implicitly." Her focus locked onto Nansar with laser precision. "Your actions speak louder than your past crimes. You have demonstrated genuine transformation."
Hope ignited in my chest, a flame catching dry kindling.
The Prime's gaze shifted to me, those remarkable eyes seeming to see straight through to my soul. "If Chloe vouches for you, if she agrees to accept responsibility for your conduct going forward, then you may remain at her side rather than return to Palaydium."
"I vouch for him." The words came without a microsecond's hesitation. "Completely and without reservation."
Nansar's grip on my hand became almost painful, and when I looked up at him, relief had transformed his features entirely. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes—raw, unguarded emotion laid bare for everyone to witness.
"Thank you, Lady Prime," he managed, his voice scraped raw with feeling.
I let my gaze sweep the room, drinking in the reactions rippling through our small gathering. My father's face had undergone a complete metamorphosis. The carved lines of tension and worry melted away, replaced by a smile so radiant it made my own eyes burn with unshed tears. He caught my eye and gave me a small, deliberate nod that communicated volumes:I'm proud of you. So damn proud.
Duke Ako had wrapped his arm around Duchess Helene, and both of them looked as though gravity itself had released its hold on them. The Duchess cradled her baby daughter against her chest, tears of pure joy tracking down her cheeks. Duke Ako's typically reserved expression had shattered into something approaching euphoria.
"Our son," Duchess Helene breathed, her voice trembling with wonder. "Our son gets to stay."
The Prime inclined her head once in acknowledgment, and though her expression maintained its professional neutrality, I could have sworn I detected a flicker of satisfaction dancing in those remarkable eyes. Then she reached into her robes and withdrew a datapad—its case battered and cracked, definitely not what I would have expected the Prime to carry.
"While Nansar was with the healers," the Prime began, her fingers gliding across the datapad's scarred surface, "Captain Adtovar dispatched a recovery team to Palaydium. They sifted through what remained of the Trogvyk ship, and searched for Hewes." Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "They found no trace of him. But they did recover this."
She lifted the damaged datapad slightly, and the light caught the spiderweb cracks across its screen. "It was buried deep in the wreckage, protected from destruction by sheer luck. Technology Officer Xytol aboard theHistoriamanaged to extract some of the data." Her gaze swept across each of us in turn, settling like a weight. "Including visual records."
