But he couldn’t help it. He was too used to taking fire for them. Besides, he felt more like their father than their brother.

Darling eased his grip on her arm. “Yes, we’re running from Arturo.”

“Why didn’t you say something in my room?”

“I didn’t want your roommate to know. I have to make sure all of you are safe for a few days.”

She scowled at him. “You’re really scaring me. I know something’s wrong. What is it?”

“I’m going to get us out from under his fist.”

She stopped so abruptly that he lost his grip on her. “What are you going to do? Is it dangerous? It better not be dangerous… Is it dangerous?”

He had to clamp down on the urge to strangle her for holding them up. While Arturo didn’t care about Drake or their mother, he did check up on Annalise from time to time—a virgin princess was worth a lot more on the marriage market than a used one. And the guards he’d knocked out would wake up soon and find her gone.

They had to be off planet before that happened or they’d never make it.

“Lise, I don’t have time to explain, okay? I need you to trust me and cooperate.”

“All right.” She lifted her hand to touch the scarred side of his face. “But please don’t get hurt, sashi. Not for me or for anything. You’re the only father I’ve ever known, and you’re the only person in this entire universe I know I can call if I need something. I can’t lose you, you know? You’re all I have.”

Touched by her heartfelt words, Darling kissed her on the forehead. “It’ll be fine. Now we need to get moving.”

She nodded before she finally picked up the pace.

He led her through campus and out toward the landing bay where he’d left his unmarked fighter.

They were almost home free.

Just a few minutes more.

If they could make it to launch, no one would be able to stop them. He’d have her safely tucked away with Nykyrian, and everything would change for the better.

Tomorrow, they would be free to live the lives they should have been living all along.

C’mon, fate, don’t screw me in this.

Inside the hangar, Darling glanced over at a small group of six men dressed as college engineers, but he paid them no heed as he led his sister toward his ship on the left.

Not until he overheard one of them speaking to the others in Caronese—a language that wasn’t common here in the Garvon sector. Fearing assassins were after him, he listened to their conversation intently. “Hey, isn’t that the princess we’re after?”

Those words registered at the same time he saw the group rushing toward them, reaching for weapons.

What the hell? They weren’t Caronese soldiers or guards his uncle might have sent. They were dressed as civs.

But their weapons were military grade…

Shit. It was an attack.