It all feels too surreal. One look at my mother's hopeful gaze, my father's expectant pout and suddenly it seems more like an ambush than a proposal. 

"Darling, why does it feel like you're hesitating?" Lazarus jokes nervously when I don't reply. He smiles at my parents but I notice his fingers have coiled around the ring like a snake. He's clutching the box so tightly, I fear it might break. 

The quiet in the room is deafening as my parents look on. Servants and attendants wait in intrepid silence close by, unsure if they should serve. Their expressions are as fraught with tension as Lazarus's is. 

My father groans when I stare at the rock. I feel more unsure by the second. "Luna, where are your manners? Don't keep the man waiting."

Lazarus places a palm over my hand, he hasn't budged from his position on the floor, his knee must be hurting. "She must be in shock." 

"I can't give you an answer yet. The stars know I want to say yes, Lazarus. I've wanted to marry you since I was twelve." 

"But?" He asks, voice low, the barely controlled rage I know he has already beginning to surface. 

"But I don't know you the way I want to. Up until today I didn't know you were working on such an ambitious project. That too with my father." 

General Grievous stands up abruptly, his chair screeching against the hard tiled floors. "This is preposterous. There's nothing wrong with working with someone else, especially when my own offspring is evidently immature." 

A few attendants rush closer, ready to steady the chair for him. I see the woman he slept with in his quarters, her hand outstretched, looking like she wants to stop or comfort him. 

General Ursae remains oblivious to it all. 

"Let's talk in private." Lazarus holds on to my arm, pulling me out of the dining hall. "Please excuse us." He nods respectfully to both my parents before dragging me to one of our living rooms used to entertain guests. 

He forces me into an armed chair and places his arms on either side of me. Up close I can see how livid he is. 

"I thought you said you love me. Didn't you say so when I was fucking you against the bathroom walls?" 

My mouth goes dry at how direct his words are. The memory of the feeling of him buried deep inside me making my thighs clench together. Lazarus notices and my cheeks burn with embarrassment. 

"I do love you." I insist. "And I haven't said 'no'."

"But you haven't said 'yes' either." He berates, eyes narrowed on my face. He reaches between my legs with one hand, fingers forcing them apart as he clutches my already throbbing core. 

My eyes widen in shock and I reach down to stop him. "Lazarus, my parents are next door. There are attendants."

But my grip weakens when he starts to stroke me in the way he knows I love. 

"And? Once we are wed, we will rule this planet and I will have you anywhere I want. No one will stop us, no one can." His lips are by my ear, his breath hot against my skin. 

"Anywhere?" I whisper breathless. His fingers move faster, more aggressively, moving to slide under my gown. He groans in satisfaction when he feels how wet I am. 

"The war council room. The grey region. My office and yours. The command centre with all those camera screens. Everywhere." 

My stars. No words have ever turned me on so much. 

"And I will tell you my every plan. My every endeavour, every thought. Once we are wed you will have my heart whole." 

"You will?" I ask, my voice hoarse. He's telling me everything I want to hear and inside I can feel myself building to a climax. 

"Yes. Just say the word, Luna. Say you will be mine. Say 'yes'." 

I can't think anymore. The pressure is making me lose all sense of thought. It's not just his touch, it's the way he's looking at me, the directness of his words, everything about him is seduction. I feel myself tip over the edge, my entire body slumping against the cushioned seat after a few seconds of euphoria.

I'm gasping in exhaustion even though he's the one who did all the work. 

"This could be us every cycle." He smirks down at me. 

"Promise me one thing," I say once the high has worn off and my brain starts to function again. 

Lazarus leans back to look at me, the turquoise green in his eyes darker than ever. He raises his eyebrows inquisitively. "And that is?"

"Promise me you will never harm Lucian. He is our comrade, our family. Whether you like it or not, we grew up together and we're all we have." 

Lazarus stands up and paces around, putting some distance between us. "I beg to differ. But once I have your hand and my project is launched, he will hardly be a threat. Fine, you have my word, Luna and now I want yours." 

I open my mouth, about to say the word when my communicator pings loudly. No one usually texts at this hour unless they are my parents, Lazarus, Lucian or General Lyra. I whip out the device and click on the screen curiously. 

The message came from Commander Axis, telling me he found something. He sends me a retina encoded file, only accessible to my eyes. I open the file quickly with Lazarus standing just a few feet away. 

There are reports of Alya heading to Earth without my knowing, without my permission, which could only mean she had someone else's backing. Someone with equal or more power than me. 

I cast a cautionary glance at Lazarus, who is staring at me impatiently. 

"Is it really that important?" He complains, a deep frown marring his face. 

"It's a report about the bomb blast on Cixin from one of my squad members," I lie because my intuition is telling me to do so. Which is sort of hypocritical considering I didn't like him keeping secrets from me. 

I sift through the files quickly before the message self deletes. 

Flight path after flight path. Why do the cycle dates look so familiar? 

It clicks just as Lazarus makes a move closer. The file disappears from view when he peers down to look at the report. 

I shut my phone and stare up at him with wide eyes, in my mind the pieces are slowly being pieced together. I remember those dates because I saw them on my father's computer. All those approved flight paths, all those trips to Earth that were authorised by my father, visits that were made by Lazarus. 

And apparently Alya. 

My insides churns, it feels like acid is burning my every organ, blazing through muscle and flesh, making me feel sick. 

Was Alya working with Lazarus and General Grievous the whole time? And was she murdered because of it?

Lazarus grabs my communicator and looks at the screen. I resist the urge to claw it out of his hands. 

"I don't see anything." 

"It's encrypted." I answer in a clipped tone. "There was nothing of significance. Just a body count of how many were injured." 

"Ahh," He murmurs disbelievingly. 

"I have to be somewhere." I get up and adjusts my skirts. I need to speak with General Lyra and Commander Axis. 

Lazarus moves to block my path. "You just can't say 'yes', can you? What is it you want? First in command? Are you planning to move against me, is that why?" 

I scoff. That's all he can think of. "What makes you think that position is yours to give?" 

"Luna, we both know that my experiments will give me that position. Now it is up to you to decide. If you marry me, your shot at second in command will be higher than ever. If you don't, then you can fight for scraps with Lucian." 

"Or I could marry Lucian and both of us will contest against you." I know I shouldn't have said those words but his audacity makes me mad with anger.

Lazarus takes a menacing step forward, his shoulders squared, looking like he's ready for battle. "Do not test me, Luna. I will kill you both." 

"It would be better than being under your thumb and my fathers." I swallow hard because he really does look like he wants to kill me right this second. 

"There's nothing wrong with second in command." He says. "You would be a fool to refuse me." 

"I will be a puppet on your arm. A plaything for when you get bored." 

Lazarus cups my chin roughly, tugging me closer. "Again, there's nothing wrong with that." 

He grins before pulling me roughly towards him for a kiss. I stamp down on his boot with my heel and he winces, releasing me. I'm out of the house before anyone can stop me. 

My driver picks me up and hands me the set of clothes I requested. I then tell him to head to Onyx.

I walk through the side entrance of the restaurant, avoiding all guests and prying eyes. I take the route through the kitchens, where most of the humans are doing the cooking while Plutonian chefs bark orders. The head chef sees me and rushes to greet me immediately. 

"Where is she?" He already knows I'm referring to his boss. 

"She's in the VIP room, waiting for you." Only the head chef and business manager know that Onyx belongs to General Lyra. To everyone else, the popular bar and restaurant's ownership remain a mystery. 

There are a few VIP rooms catered to Plutonian elite but only one is exclusive to the Trinity and Generals. 

I take the stairs to the right and head up the winding staircase. Below me Plutonians are dancing sensually to the thrumming base and electronic beats. I feel someones eyes on me and catch a human staring at me from the bar. 

I generally like to move inconspicuously and in a club as busy as this, it's relatively easy especially with our separate entrances. To have been spotted by a human is downright embarrassing. He's in uniform and he's carrying a tray of drinks, his eyes trail me till I reach for the door. 

I frown to myself. Humans don't usually recognise me, only the ones higher up in rank and there are only a handful of them. I can't recall the brown haired boy and it feels like he's still staring at our room. 

General Lyra is standing by the clear window, looking over the crowds below. 

"I heard he finally popped the question." She says without looking at me. 

I walk past the sprawling silk laden sofas and pour myself a drink before joining her. Our view of the entire ground floor is unobscured from this vantage point. I catch the brown haired human serving a few guests by the bar, he looks up once but I doubt he can see us through the tint. 

"That was fast. Then did you hear of my answer?" I tease. Nothing ever escapes General Lyra. 

"You should say yes."

This time I turn to her in shock. "Why?" 

"Because it would give us the information we want. He would finally 'trust' you, whatever that means." Her sarcasm doesn't go unnoticed. 

The booming music from below filters through the glass but here it is quiet. I tell the general about Alya and the minister. Their simultaneous deaths hardly a coincidence. Her face hardens when I tell her about Alya's excursions with Lazarus to South Africa. 

"She was your mole. I must have one as well. They're obviously hiding something. Something they want to keep from the rest of us." Her slender fingers are splayed on her chin and she taps one down on her skin softly, deep in thought.

"You think it has something to do with their project?" 

"I guess there's only one way to find out." She gives me a suggestive look and I know she's insinuating that I should go ahead with the marriage. 

"I don't want to be controlled." I admit reluctantly. 

"You're a Sympathizer. You can never be controlled." She points out. 

The general leaves soon after and I take a moment to pour myself another drink, and then another. I call for the head chef, asking him to find me a companion to entertain me and pour me drinks. 

I point at the human server, making him grimace. 

"Are you sure, your honour? We could arrange for much better looking Plutonians to entertain you tonight. I have a list...."

"And I've already told you whom I want." I say impatiently and he quickly relents. 

I am soon ushered to another VIP room, where the brown haired boy stands ready with a tray of drinks in hand. He holds them out to me but avoids all eye contact. 

The door shuts, leaving us alone in the darkened room. The lights from below streak through the tinted windows, casting colourful shadows on the walls around us. 

"What is your name?" I ask, taking a drink from him. I set it down, careful not to take a sip. His eyes follow, taking note.

"Tim." He answers but I can tell he's lying. 

"Are you an officer or fighter?" I sit down and study his moppy brown hair that hangs loosely around his face. His features are soft and there's a large birth mark on his cheek. "Or are you perhaps a paramour?" 

His jaw clenches ever so slightly. 

"Come sit." I gesture to the sofa and he walks stiffly, putting down the tray before sitting down with his back upright like a robot. 

"Well? Which one is it?" I press. 

"Officer." He murmurs, his deep voice carrying over the soft music in our room. A flash of silver catches the light and he whips out his knife, aiming for my throat immediately. 

But the boy has underestimated two things; One - Plutonians are generally faster and stronger and two - I'm not just any Plutonian. 

I have him pinned on the floor within seconds, my knee digging into his ribcage making him gasp and his knife now in my hand. I place the sharp edge against his neck. 

"Now tell me. What is your real name?" I ask him calmly. 

"Ron," He sputters, eyes bulging in panic. 

I smile in satisfaction. "Ron, short and sweet. I like it. Now Ron, why were you stupid enough to try to kill me of all Plutonians?"

"I wasn't trying to kill you..." He chokes and I lift my knee slightly to relieve the pressure. "I wanted to threaten you. My twin brother, he's gone missing." 

"He probably died on a mission. Did you look that up before attempting treason?" 

"No, he's a slave. He told me they wanted his help for some technological advancement and then I never saw him again."