Page 77 of Her Lawless Prince

“I think you’re a dream because I wished it so hard,” he whispered. “Did I die today?”

“Try to think, Nyle,” Payton insisted. “What happened to you? Why are you on the ground?”

“We were coming from the palace. Yevgen zapped the guard, and then…” Nyle moaned, reaching for his head. “You need to talk to him. He’s letting his princely powers get out of control.”

Roderic appeared next to the Var guard. He slapped the man’s cheek. “Nap’s over, Anwir.”

Nyle blinked several times as if fighting for consciousness before wobbling to a sitting position.

“Anwir, get up,” Roderic ordered.

“They burned Yevgen,” Payton told Nyle, ignoring her cousin. “On a pyre. But you can fix him, right? It’s Yevgen. He’ll survive this. You just need to reboot his programming like when we were on Rita’s ship.”

“There isn’t time.” Nyle pushed up from the ground. He swayed as he reached his feet. “They’re coming for me.”

“No. We won’t let them.” Payton wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. “I thought they took you from me. I couldn’t live through losing you. I thought I was strong. I thought I was making all the right, honorable choices, but I’m stupid. I should have told you the very moment I felt it. I love you.”

“You told me.” Nyle returned the embrace, stroking her hair. “I love you too. I was worried I wouldn’t get to see you again before the end.”

“We can’t end. I want to be with you. I want to marry you. I want a forever.”

“I want that too, Payton, but some choices are not ours to make.” He sounded calm, resigned. “They need someone to pay for what happened on Cysgod. The guards received a communication from Shelter City. When Yevgen was processing the palace data he obtained, he told me what they said. If my sacrifice will end the Federation’s hold over Qurilixen and the Cysgodians, then that’s what must happen.”

Payton knew Nyle searched for redemption. She doubted he would ever fully forgive himself for the past. She hated his pain, even as she loved him for his honor.

“I’m happy I got to see you one last time—” he started to say.

Payton pressed her hand over his mouth, shutting him up. “I’m not letting them take you anywhere.”

“Payton?” Grier shouted from the clearing. “The soldiers are coming back with reinforcements. I didn’t see Nyle from the sky.”

“I found him,” Payton yelled.

Nyle looked down as if noticing her nakedness for the first time. His gaze lingered.

“I ran here from Shelter City,” she explained.

“You have to let the Federation soldiers finish it,” Nyle said. “They’ll leave. You’ll all be free. The Cysgodians deserve an end to this. Let me give that to them.”

“You’re my forever. If you climb on that fire, I’m climbing on with you. And that will be the end of it. I die when you die. You’re my mate. There is nothing you can do to change that.”

“Payton, I—”

“I love you,” she interrupted. “It’s as simple as that. Those seconds when I thought it was you instead of Yevgen, it nearly destroyed me. All this talk of honor and duty. We’ve been stupid.”

“Yevgen.” Nyle frowned. “You said they burned him?”

“Are you confused? How hard did he zap you?” Payton tried to examine the burn on his neck.

“Is it because he hacked into their files?” Nyle asked, turning his head away from her attention. “I don’t understand. It was supposed to be me.”

“You’re looking a little dazed. We need to get you into a medical booth.” Payton studied his face.

“Pyres are meant to reduce organics to ash.”

“I know. Yevgen’s body doesn’t look good, but his programming should still be in there, right?” Payton needed to believe that what she said was true. She needed her friend to be all right. Guilt filled her to know she’d been relieved when it wasn’t Nyle in the fire. “We have to get him out of here before they come back. We’ll take him to the palace. You can fix him after you get checked by a medical booth.”

Payton pulled Nyle toward the clearing.

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