Chapter 555: Get On Your Knees

The blast doors of the bridge closed, leaving Kylus and Requiem to manage the new flight path. Xavier walked down the narrow corridor toward the captain's wing. The deck plating vibrated beneath his boots as the hyper-drives pushed the Strider through the deep void.

He stopped in front of his quarters. The biometric lock chimed under his palm, and the heavy metal door slid open.

Empress Xalvoria sat rigidly on the edge of his cot. Her heavy crimson mantle was still draped over her shoulders, her posture as stiff as a marble statue. Her gaze snapped toward the door the second it opened. The pale gold light from the Goddess's fragment on the nearby table cast harsh shadows across her face, highlighting the venomous glare she directed at him.

Xavier stepped inside. The door sealed shut behind him, the lock engaging with a heavy click.

"You took your time." Her voice was a razor blade, tight and brittle. She refused to break eye contact. "Are you finished playing captain, or do you need another hour to stroke your own ego?"

"The ship comes first. You are a guest." Xavier walked past her, tossing his data-pad onto the small metal desk. He turned around and leaned his weight against the edge. "And you need to drop the attitude if we are going to get through this."

Xalvoria stood up. She kept her arms tight at her sides, projecting cold defiance to mask her underlying revulsion. "We are doing this once tonight. No pleasantries. No talking. You will extract your data, stabilize my core, and then you will not touch me again until tomorrow."

A dark, knowing grin spread across his face.

"Wrong." Xavier pushed himself off the desk and closed the distance. He stopped mere inches from her, forcing her to tilt her head up to maintain eye contact. "Did you forget the terms we agreed to right in front of the Goddess? I lead. You follow."

She flinched. Her crimson eyes flashed with fresh outrage. "I am a sovereign. I am not some common—"

"You are a patient bleeding out from genetic rot." Xavier cut her off. His tone carried the heavy, unyielding authority of Zephyros, leaving zero room for debate. "A sloppy, rushed procedure isn't going to synchronize our bloodlines. If you want the cure, we do this right. My way."

The silence in the cramped cabin grew heavy. The glowing stone pulsed on the altar, a constant, glowing reminder of the divine mandate forcing them together. Xalvoria's chest rose and fell in rapid, shallow breaths. Her ancient pride warred viciously against the agonizing ticking clock in her cells.

She hated him. She hated his lineage, his arrogance, and the fact that he was right.

"Tell me what to do," she forced out. The words tasted like ash in her mouth.

"Start by taking off the mantle." Xavier gestured toward the heavy, regal fabric weighing her shoulders down. "You don't need to be an Empress in this room."

Xalvoria's fingers went straight for the heavy gold clasp at her throat. She yanked it loose. The crimson mantle hit the floor plating with a heavy thud. Her hands immediately moved to the laces of her royal tunic.

She wanted to strip the fabric away, lie back, and get the miserable ordeal over with as fast as possible.

Xavier caught her wrists in a vice grip.

Her breath hitched. She shot him a venomous glare, trying to yank her hands free, but his hold was like forged steel.

"You are rushing." Xavier pushed her hands down to her sides. "We are not doing this like some cheap, back-alley transaction. I told you I set the tempo."

She bared her teeth. "Does the speed matter as long as the data is transferred?"

"It matters to me." He released her wrists, taking a half-step back. "Take it off slowly. And keep your eyes on me while you do it."

The demand struck her pride like a physical blow. She hated the vulnerability he was forcing on her, but the biological ticking clock deep within her cells left her no room to argue. Her jaw tight, Xalvoria reached back up to her collar.

Xalvoria reached back up to her collar. She undid the royal garments piece by piece. The fabric pooled around her ankles. Her pale skin caught the golden glow of the Goddess's fragment on the altar. She shivered in the cool air of the cabin and crossed her arms over her chest.

Xavier stepped into her personal space. She stiffened and turned her face away. He brushed her wavy red hair over her shoulder to expose the curve of her neck. His fingers traced a path down her collarbone. Xalvoria flinched and pulled back.

"Stand still." Xavier pressed his thumb against the base of her neck.

A cluster of blackened veins marred the pale surface of her skin. The decay was actively destroying her ancient matriarchal lineage.

"You project a lot of arrogance for someone falling apart." Xavier dragged his thumb over the darkened veins. She winced. "Your bloodline is dying. You are burning from the inside out. Royal protocol cannot stop it."

She squeezed her eyes shut, humiliated that her deepest weakness was laid bare under his fingertips.

Xavier gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. "Say it. Admit how badly you need my blood to save yours."

"I need..." Xalvoria choked on the words, the ancient hatred warring with her survival instinct. "I need the cure."

"Not good enough." Xavier dropped his hand. He looked down at her, channeling the heavy, overbearing aura of the Emperor of Eternity. The pressure in the room spiked, pressing down on her shoulders. "Your aura is still too rigid. You still think you are above me. If we fuse our energies right now, Zephyros's violent starlight is going to clash with your royal pride and tear your fragile body apart."

He pointed a finger straight down at the metal floor plating.

"Get on your knees."