"Three?" she choked indignantly. "Really?"

"Really. My mother. My sister, and you."

Ember blinked as a wave of tender love for him tightened her throat. "Oh."

"And I failed all three of you. But if we make it out of this alive, will you please, for the love of the G.o.ds, finally marry me?"

She laughed at the anguish in his tone. "Yes, Bastien, pain in my a.s.s that you are. I will definitely marry you, so don't go and get killed this time."

"Icky? You heard her, right? You're my witness?"

"I heard, and I will make sure she abides by it, if Ryn doesn't kill us with his flying."

"Good man."

But Ryn was certainly trying. Worse, they were taking direct hits.

Suddenly, a buzzing started. Bastien thought it was an alarm until he heard Ryn's voice over the intercom. "Um, hey baby. Little busy right now. Can I call you and Mom back in a few?"

"Ach! Are you under fire, me Wa.s.sie loon?"

"Little bit, yeah."

"And where's me worthless brother who's supposed to be a-watching your back?"

"Not here. Need to focus. Love you."

"And you." Mack cut the link.

Wow, that was some accent she had, and here he'd thought Jupiter's was thick.

He winked at Ember. "Wouldn't want to be Jory when he gets that call, eh?"

She laughed, then groaned.

A shot blasted them and broke through the shields. The ship began to whistle in that unique way that meant they were venting atmosphere.

s.h.i.t ...

If it went out, they wouldn't last any time. And with the way the ship was careening, they couldn't reach the hardsuits.

This was getting scary.

"Everyone harnessed?" Ryn asked over the intercom.

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm going to have to set her down. Hard. Brace!"

Ember turned pale. "Are we near a planet?"

"Hope so." No one wanted to set down on an asteroid while leaking life support.

Her grip tightened on his hand.

Bastien didn't say a word. He was too busy holding his breath as they dodged more fire.

By the time they hit a planet, even Ryn was cursing as most everything had begun short-circuiting. Which meant they hit the ground so hard, it rattled every bone in their bodies. Parts of the ceiling came free and crashed down around them.

Bastien smelled the burning wires and fuel.

s.h.i.t! They were going up in flames. His heart hammering, he moved to check on Iskander. "Can you move?"

He nodded. "Get to Ember."

Bastien left him to check on her.

She was unconscious. Worse? Her harness had been damaged on impact and wouldn't release. He pulled out his knife and began to saw on the straps. But because they were made to be fireproof and impact proof, they didn't give.

The smoke thickened. His eyes burned and blurred his sight. Choking on the fumes, he tried the release again. It was still jammed.

d.a.m.n it!

Fire crackled and popped. His ears buzzed from his elevated blood pressure and he tasted bile as his panic rose up to choke him. "Come on, baby," he breathed. "Don't you dare leave me. You can't do that to Florian. He'd never forgive you for making me his only parent. I'll screw him up on my own. You know I will. I'm grossly incompetent. I'll be feeding him sweets for breakfast. Letting him wear things you'd kill us both for. He'd never have a bedtime and we'd both be surfing for p.o.r.n together."

"Don't you dare corrupt my baby!"

He smiled at her irate tone. "Knew that'd revive you better than smelling salts."

She grimaced at him. "You always know just what to say to p.i.s.s me off."

"That I do." He kissed her lips as a section of the ship fell down around them.

Finally the belt came free.

Scooping her up in his arms, he ran as fast as he could.

He'd barely reached the door when the ship blew apart and sent a shock wave that pitched him forward, onto the burning gra.s.s.

Bastien covered her with his body and prayed nothing rained down on her.

Ember groaned as pain throbbed through every last bit of her body. It wasn't helped by Bastien's unholy weight on top of her, but she understood why he was there.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

He nodded.

Thank the G.o.ds.

She had no idea what she'd do if she lost him again.

Bastien rose slowly, then helped her up. Iskander was sitting a few feet away, along with Ryn, Quin, and Myrna, and Ryn's crew.

"We lose anyone?" Bastien asked.

"No, thank the G.o.ds." Ryn let out a tired breath. "But the Cruel Victory is toast."

Yra patted him on the back. "You better call your mother and wife or they'll be headed this way as soon as their alarms sound."

Cursing, he reached for his link to obey her.

Quin held his wife as he surveyed the damage. His face was pale and haunted. As if reliving a nightmare.

"You all right?"

He shook his head at Bastien's question. "I don't want any part of this, ever again."

Bastien gaped at him. "What the f.u.c.k is your problem?"

Quin shot to his feet to confront him. "What's my problem? Everyone in my family was murdered! I have nothing left. What's the point of fighting? There will only be someone else who comes along and tries to take it."

Bastien did the one thing he'd never done in his entire life.

He backhanded his brother. "f.u.c.k. You. Quin. You piece of s.h.i.t! After all the lectures you gave me about being responsible? About growing up and not being self-absorbed? You dare sit there on the grave of our parents and let our people suffer under the hands of a madman?"

Stunned and furious, he gestured to Myrna. "Look at what Barnabas did to your wife. You think she's the only one he's harmed? He killed Ember's parents and ours. We are Cabarros, you worthless dung-licking dog! You get up and you fight for your people. Your wife! Your child! That is what we do. That is who we are!" He shook his head. "I can't believe I ever looked up to you. That our father held you out to me as the paragon of virtue by which I was always found lacking."

Quin curled his lip. "Open your eyes, Bastien. We're two people. What can we do?"

"Barnabas was one. And if you want to see what one man can do ... watch me."

Iskander rose. "I'm with you, brother."

Ember blocked his path. "What are you planning?"

"Death. Mayhem. Ma.s.sive dismemberment."

She didn't move for an entire minute. He was expecting her full argument.

Instead, she nodded. "Let's go."

Iskander scowled at them. "Out of curiosity ... our ship is over there in flames. So how are you planning to get there? Mindhike?"

Bastien let out an irritated sigh. "You know, I'd be much more p.i.s.sed off if I didn't feel like having to tolerate you is some kind of karmic debt I've earned."

Ember laughed. "We can hail my sisters."

"All hail the Wildstars."

She popped Bastien's b.u.t.t. "You're not funny."

"I don't know," Iskander said. "That was pretty good. Wish I'd thought of it."

But all joking aside, Bastien knew things had changed.

And he was done playing.

Bastien was grateful Kindel had put her foot down and insisted that Iskander stay out of the fight. He just wished that she and the others had backed him with keeping Ember out of it, too.

While he liked having her at his back, he would rather not risk Florian's mother.

He paused onboard Cin's ship as they neared Kirovar and drew closer to the palace where Bastien would either fulfill his promise to kill his uncle.

Or die trying.

He turned toward his favorite sister-in-law. "Tasi?"

"Yeah?"

"You still have your priestess license?"

"I do."

"Then marry us before we do this."

Ember's brows shot north. "Pardon?"

"I asked and you accepted. If this goes wrong, and I go down, I want to make sure that no one questions Florian's place as an heir of this empire. It's to protect you both."

Ember's throat went dry at his kindness. Nodding, she agreed. "I always imagined a more formal affair."

He grinned. "Save me from my routine stupidity. Get me out alive, and I'll throw you the biggest d.a.m.n wedding in the history of the Nine Worlds."

"I don't need that, but something between the level of Nykyrian's and Caillen's will do."

Since Nyk had eloped in a deserted hangar bay with only criminals to witness it, and Caillen's had been record setting, that left a lot of room for negotiation. "Whatever you want, it'll be yours."

She sobered instantly. "I just want you."

Bastien kissed her. "And I, you."

"Well," Tasi said with a smirk. "You two are married. That was easy. Nice vows. All I need is to declare you as two united hearts before the G.o.ds. May you live in peace and remember to hold each other sacred, and yourselves solely one to the other." She drew a circle in the air around each of them and then united it. "There you go. Happy union."

Cin held up her link. "Bas, fingerprint here."

He let it scan his print.