Page 23 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol. 1
I hadn’t thought the sarcophagus’s cycle counter would ever become a problem.
“You must be mistaken,” I reply, avoiding her gaze.
Before she can press further, two short knocks sound at the door.
“It’s Duncan!” comes the familiar voice from outside.
“Come in,” I call quickly, seizing the opportunity. “Would you like to join us for tea?”
And just like that, I dodge my sister’s unsettling questions—at least for now.
***
Two nights later, I’m lying quietly on the narrow bed in the small room I use every night. I’m reading an adventure-romance novel—the kind that helps me escape during these long, lonely evenings.
The walls are thick and soundproof, so I don’t hear Henri come in. I jump when he suddenly appears in the doorway.
He doesn’t greet me. He doesn’t smile. In here, he doesn’t bother pretending to be the charming, caring governor everyone else sees. In private, he’s just Henri—entitled, untouchable, and completely unaware of boundaries.
“Come on,” he says, his voice sharp and cold.
I hate how fast I give in to him—but I’ve learned the hard way that the longer he has to wait, the worse it gets. And tonight, there’s no mistaking how furious he is. I don’t even know what set him off this time, but I can already tell—it’s going to be a long, ugly night.
I follow him into the big bedroom, the one that’s supposed to be ours, and I just stand there, waiting.
“I couldn’t believe it when Duncan showed up at my place today,” he says.
My stomach tightens. What did Duncan say? What did he do to make Henri this angry?
Henri grabs my shoulders and shakes me, hard. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” he snaps. “What are you two planning with your sister?”
“Henri, I swear—I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
His eyes are burning with rage, and I’m shaking like a leaf in front of him.
“You and your sister brought up the meter on the regeneration sarcophagus in our place,” he snaps. “And your sister—she let that idiot know there were irregularities. That sneaky girl suspects something, and she tricked that fool into digging around! Can you believe it? Some low-level guard had the nerve to comequestion me—the governor—asking how I explain two unauthorized cycles on the pod!”
His voice rises, his arms tense, and I brace myself, every nerve on edge, ready to shield my head if I have to.
“If you think you can take me down, you’re dead wrong. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through to get where I am?”
“Not exactly,” I mutter under my breath, “but I know it wasn’t all good.”
Yeah… sarcasm was a bad call.
He grabs the front of my tunic and yanks me up to his eye level, his gaze drilling into mine.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he growls. “When I found out Rayan was after you on BN-35, I made sure he was with his father when I triggered the incident that let me take Mourad’s place as administrator. It was perfect—one move, and I got rid of them both.”
I stare at him, horrified. I always knew he was violent, manipulative—but I never imagined he was capable of murder.
“You… you killed them?”
He glares at me, like I’ve insulted him. “You really think I couldn’t? I’m a man with ambition. I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I want.”
“But… doesn’t the Confederation run empathy tests to make sure only the right people get in?”
“I was smart enough to beat the system,” he says, smug. Then he notices my face. “Are you crying? Seriously? You’re crying over that kid—Rayan? Youshould be grateful you got to know a man instead of some naïve little boy.”
