Maris squeezed his arm affectionately. “I’ll take care of it.”

Good.

Feeling calmer than he had in a long time, Darling headed down the stairs. “Is Syn at home?”

“Should be. Why?”

Darling wasn’t completely sure if he wanted to go through with what he knew he should. Thanks to his mother’s mutated genes, he’d never tolerated anesthesia very well. It left him sick and out of it much longer than it did most people.

And he ran a much higher risk of death anytime he went under.

Still…

His reflection in the wall screamed at him. For the last few months, vengeance had reigned supreme and driven out everything else in his life.

Maybe now that his anger was spent and the ones who’d hurt him most were gone, maybe it was time to start healing.

It had nothing to do with Zarya. It didn’t. He was doing this for him. Like moving out of his old room.

If he removed himself from the reminders, it was easier to let go of the past.

Arturo was dead now.

And this was the reign of Darling Cruel—the 139th governor of the Caronese. It was his empire now, and he was the one his people would look to for protection and leadership. That cloak of responsibility was heavy, but it was one that had been worn by generations of his family.

The only way to serve his people was to be whole again. They would accept nothing less. And they deserved only his best.

He paused at the foot of the stairs. “Do you remember how many more surgeries Syn said he’d need to finish me?”

“Three or four, depending on how well your body accepts the procedures.”

Inwardly, he cringed at the number. But he’d never been a coward.

And he couldn’t keep living this way anymore. It was time he made some changes for the better.

Time he took control of his life.

Checking his watch, he realized that he had no reprieve. Syn would still be up for a few more hours. “I need to talk to him.”

“He’s even more sadistic than his uncle.” Senna looked around nervously as she sent her text over the secured line to her superiors. One could never be too careful, especially with an aristo as paranoid and skilled as the current governor. He had cut his teeth on technology and knew it better than anyone.

The last thing she wanted was to be added to the bodies that had been hung in front of the palace as a warning to those who opposed the new governor.

She typed her next message. “You should have seen Zarya. She was so scared of him, she wouldn’t even speak against him when he was out of the room.”

Hector responded immediately. “Believe me, we know. He’s all but destroyed us.”

It was true. There were barely a handful of Resistance members left. Governor Cruel had been merciless with his slaughter.

And damn the bastard, he was good at hunting people down. Now he had their beloved leader in custody, and had brainwashed her.