Page 57 of A Delicate Conquest

“And maybe that’s a good thing,” Zharek said quietly. “I need someone to keep me in check.”

“You never cease to surprise me, medic.”

“I think the humans are starting to influence me,” Zharek shrugged.

“And your sister? Shouldn’t she know about this?”

“Leave her out of this for now. Zyara and I have a different sense of ethics. She would overthink everything.”

“Fine. But answer me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“What if… you are successful, and she resents you for it?”

A faint, bitter smile crossed Zharek’s lips. “Then I’d just have to convince her otherwise, wouldn’t I?”

EIGHTEEN

For the next two rotations—whilehe waited to visit Bea, hovering on a knife’s edge of anticipation—Mavrel was struck with a sense of dread he couldn’t properly explain.

Sometimes, it morphed into a feeling of impending doom.

He tried to shake it off by busying himself with his various projects.

Sometimes, it worked.

Other times, he found himself thinking about Zharek and his terrible predicament.

Of course, after he’d come to terms with what Zharek was attempting to do, he’d offered to assist in whatever way possible. For the medic to have his mate right within his grasp and yet not be able to fulfill his destiny… was terrible beyond imagining.

He had no right to be judging Zharek.

And yet, he was a little scared of him.

Medic, scientist, architect of grand schemes, and unpredictable rebel.

Zharek had designed the Exogenesis program. He’d created the First Division, wiped their memories, and engineered a mechanism that caused their amnesia to gradually disappear over time.

Was it any coincidence that they’d been memoryless just long enough for Tarak to establish his supremacy within the Imperial Military—becoming so powerful he was able to stage a coup on the most feared empire in the Nine Galaxies?

Was it all just coincidence, or was Zharek so clever that he’d predicted everything that would come to pass?

The problem was, he couldn’t really know for certain, and Zharek wouldn’t ever reveal himself to that extent.

If Zharek ever figured out how to capture consciousness and insert it inside another body… or, dare he say it, bring the dead back to life…

Kaiin’s Hells.

This was the New Order. The empire was gone. Their enemies were vanquished. Earth and humans were under Darkstar’s impenetrable protection?

So why did he feel so uneasy?

Mavrel was no visionary, but even he understood the implications of that kind of power.

Several times, he’d thought about going to Tarak to reveal what he’d discovered, but then he remembered how desperate Zharek had sounded.

The medic whose actions had helped topple an empire from within without anyone realizing until it was too late…

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