My communicator buzzes busily in my side pocket and I quickly take it out.

"Lucian," I say breathlessly as I side step a Plutonian and make my way to the entrance of Onyx.

"Aria, where are you? I thought you would be home," He pauses for a moment and the disappointment in his voice is so clear it makes me wince. "I thought you would be home tonight."

He struggles to get out those last few words and I place my palm on the smooth glassy stone wall to steady myself. We've been having the worst time ever since he made that unilateral decision to fight in the pits against Lazarus for leadership.

I'd just lost Cassandra, someone I cared about deeply and now Lucian was going to be fighting against someone I utterly despised, someone I knew was capable of murder for power. I had this dirty feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was going to go wrong and when it came to Lazarus I was usually right.

But what kills me is Lucian's naivety and his unwillingness to cancel this whole thing before it gets too late. Our past few nights together have been nothing short of tense because I've been arguing with him to pull out of the match and he has been insistent that I don't have faith in his abilities.

"I need to cover someone at the bar for awhile. I'll be back soon," My words come out strangled as I try to keep the emotion out of my voice. I don't want to be polite, I want to scream at him through the communicator telling him that I would lock him in our room if it meant keeping him safe but I swallow my true feelings and lean my forehead against the cold stone.

"Oh," He says and I can just imagine his expression, eyes cast downward, lips pursed as he struggles to hide his disappointment though he's never been very good at it.

"Then I guess I'll train for a bit before heading to bed. Goodnight, Aria." It feels like he is saying goodbye and I quickly reply in a burst of panic.

"I'll be back soon. Stay up for me," I say and I sink my teeth into my knuckles to keep from bursting from all my pent up frustration.

"Okay, see you," He says and then the line is cut.

I squeeze my eyes shut again pressing the communicator to my ear till it begins to hurt and then I slowly place it into my bag. I walk through the restaurant and meet Rosie by the bar.

"Hey," I busy myself with wiping the glasses, ignoring Rosie's penetrating stare.

She is staring at me cautiously while she pours a drink for a customer. She hands it to the tall Plutonian and inches closer till we are standing side by side.

"We should go now to get the meat. The rest have gone first and we need to help them."

I nod my head and follow her to the back.

"I heard about Cassandra. Sorry for your loss, Aria," She finally speaks freely once we go through the back door and walk into the darkened corridor.

I swallow hard and nod my head even though she can't see me.

"I heard they're shutting down almost everything to watch one of the biggest fights in Plutonian history. Everyone will be watching," She says through the darkness.

"They are?" I stop walking once we reach the freezer and pull it open quickly.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire planet will be there to watch."

All I can think about is 'S's message and if it can help me stop Lucian from fighting against Lazarus tomorrow. Or if it is a prediction that he will win although that sounds simply too good to be true.

We gulp down the medicine that is supposed to keep our bodies warm and step inside.

Joon, Josephine, Jade, Ron and Matt are all huddled inside and the moment I walk in they stare at me in unison.

This only increases my worries by tenfold and I rush to the familiar place under the meat but Joon stops me before I bend down. He holds on to my arm and I scowl at him for delaying me.

"What?" I snap feeling impatient.

"It doesn't start there," He replies, unfazed by my anger. He points to a segment of ice a few feet away and then he let's go.

I frown at him curiously wondering why 'S' delivered their message in a different place but I quickly rush towards the meat in the middle and bend under it quickly. Rosie follows suit and the two of us read 'S's words that have been imprinted into the ice.

It is only when we are close enough do I realize that 'S' has written their message all the way to the end and that this is the longest message I have seen so far.

Tomorrow our history will be written but it is being discussed and decided on at this very moment. A coup has been planned. One will cheat and the other will die. Tyranny will ensue when the one who does not deserve to rule takes over.

My eyes sting as the cold air threatens to freeze my unshed tears. I rub my eyes with the back of my hand and Rosie looks at me worriedly.

"I knew it," I whisper, mostly to myself. Of course Lazarus would resort to something like this.

"There's more over there," Rosie gestures to my right and we scuttle to the side to read more.

The time for us to act has finally come. The match will start at twenty-one past the stroke of the axis. At fifteen to twenty-two, the command center will be free of security and no clearance will be needed to access the premises. This might be the only chance you will ever have to leave.

Every rebellion, every fight, every death has come to this. If we do not create a worthy distraction the one we care for will die and there will be no more Earth to go home to. The humans and rebels are restless, so are some of the Plutonians. It is time to execute your goal.

I am not guaranteeing your success, neither am I telling you what is right. The choice is yours but Planet X is fast approaching and we will need to leave before the collision.

So now I ask again, do you want to escape to Earth or save it? More importantly are you willing to risk your lives for a mission that has almost zero chance of succeeding? If the answer is 'YES' then wait for my signal during the match.

This will be my last message to you. Things need to change before it is too late. Before the rot kills us all - S.

My eyes glaze over the message repeatedly and the last few words seem vaguely familiar like it is a message constructed for me alone. Where have I heard that before?

Rosie and I are kneeling under the piece of meat at the far end of the freezer by the time we finish reading. We stand up and stare at the others, their panic stricken faces mirror our own.

"The day has finally come. The chance for us to escape," Josephine murmurs looking down at the ice below our shoes.

"It makes sense. Everyone will be distracted during the match, the surveillance over the other parts of the city will be minimal," Joon says and then his tone turns serious. "But like 'S" said we're not talking about escaping anymore. We need to warn our people on Earth about the oncoming invasion."

"But there is a huge chance we might get killed trying to escape, during our flight in space or even when we reach Earth. There really is no guarantee. Is it really worth it?" Ron asks looking unsure of himself.

"If an early warning can help prepare the humans on Earth to fight back, isn't it worth it?" Joon replies angrily.

"What about PG Lucian, he's been treating Aria well and he even promoted her to his squad. Maybe if he wins he can help stop the invasion," Ron counters.

"He plans to invade Earth as well. I've seen his report," I answer quietly. Although it still burns me up inside, it makes sense that he would do whatever it took to save his species. Especially since the Plutonians already think that Earth belongs to them.

"It doesn't matter. Didn't you read the message? Lazarus's side have staged a coup, he's going to cheat and kill Lucian and he'll become leader. We need to leave before all that shit happens and we need to try to save Earth even if it seems impossible. It's not about us anymore. It's about Earth and all the ones we care about. The ones we left behind," Rosie says. "We don't have much time and tomorrow might be the only chance we have. I'm not going to let that go to waste."

"Not all of us can leave on that ship. Some will have to go to the Command Center to grant clearance for rest to leave the landing base," Matt is the one who finally brings up the part of the conversation we have been avoiding.

"I will do it," Rosie says immediately and my eyes widen in shock. Everyone begins arguing and she shushes them, holding a finger to her mouth.

"I don't want to go back looking like this," She jokes dryly and her smile causes my chest to constrict.

"I'll go with you," I say and she shakes her head.

"No, I will not allow it. We have only come this far because of you. Aria the Bone Breaker doesn't deserve death in the Command Center. If anything you should at least die in space or better yet on Earth." I can tell that Rosie is forcing herself to grin wider and it makes my eyes well up with tears.

"You know I hate that title." Is all I manage to say.

"Yeah well Ruthless Rosie doesn't care."

"I'll go with Rosie," Matt says. "You guys do your best to get out of here and head to Earth."

The rest of us stare at the couple and Matt waves us off quickly.

"Stop looking at us like that. Seriously you guys have way higher chances of dying than we do," He tries to appear strong but it's easy to see the uncertainty in his eyes.

Once the decision is made we quickly discuss which ship is best to take and how we plan to get rid of our trackers before leaving the freezer in a hurry. We have taken much longer than usual and Rosie, Matt and I rush to the kitchen with the meat in our gloved hands.

I feel worse than I did before I went into that freezer and once my shift is over I quickly rush home to see Lucian.

I hear the shower running and quickly lock the room door before walking inside. I strip down and walk past the screen so that I am facing his broad back. My chest feels heavy as I watch the thick rivulets of water cascade down his smooth marble skin, knowing this might be the last time I will see him like this.

He turns around and his eyes are hooded as he takes me in from head to toe.

"Aria," My name rolls of his tongue in the most delicious yet painful way.

"Hi," I say in a voice that breaks and Lucian pulls me towards him immediately. He wraps his strong arms around me, enveloping me in his embrace which feels like home.

"What will it take for you to not fight tomorrow?" I ask him for the thousandth time and his reply is the same. It breaks my heart but the pain is a million times worse because of what I know now.

"Please have faith in me. I have trained harder than any other fighter on the planet," Lucian pleads.

I wrap my arms around him and dig my fingers into his skin. A lump forms in my throat and my next few words are a struggle. "He's going to cheat. I know it, please believe me."

It barely occurs to me that Lucian not fighting will destroy my chances of escaping. Right now all I can think of is his safety.

"Aria, please don't do this now. I'm not going to go back on my word and you know it," Lucian hugs me back just as tightly and I slump against him, finally giving up.

He's made his decision and now I must make mine.

We wash up in silence and all I can do is stare at Lucian the whole time. I lie on the bed facing him wanting to capture every angle, every curve, every mark on his skin.

Lucian is staring at the floating spheres above us looking deep in thought but he finally sighs and turns to me.

He tucks his hand under his pillow and I watch his silvery white hair fall over his forehead making him look years younger. My gut twists painfully as I stare at his pink lips, his piercing blue eyes and the dark circles under them. His cheekbones are high and pronounced, his jaw is sharp and angular but his gaze is soft as he stares at me.

It feels like I am staring at him for the first time.

"I love you," I suddenly say, catching him off guard. His eyebrows raise ever so slightly and his eyes are filled with emotion. I don't even know why but the timing feels right to tell him the truth about how I feel.

"Aria, you don't have to-"

"I've always hated the Plutonians. They used to punish me, make me work more than my body could handle. I've watched humans die like they were nothing and it fueled my hatred like a raging fire," I pause and my voice quivers. "And then I met you."

"You were everything I expected to hate and I thought I would use you like you wanted to use me so I could join the army. But you turned out to be so different. You made my hatred seem unreasonable and sometimes you are more human to me than the humans I know," I smile as Lucian lets out a small laugh.

"You changed me as well. Being with you opened my eyes to all the flaws in the system and how we treat the humans. I want to change things, that is why I am fighting tomorrow. I'm doing this for us, for our future," He tells me earnestly and I wonder if he is talking about our future on Earth.

"What if I don't want that," I reply.

"Marry me, Aria," Lucian suddenly says and my eyes widen in shock. "I know it isn't allowed but once I become sole general I will be able to make exceptions. I don't want anyone else. Only you."

"Lucian. I," I mumble at a loss for words.

"Just think about it," He says and we continue staring at each other. I can tell he is nervous, about his proposal or tomorrow's match I am unsure but we are both unable to look away. Both afraid of the consequence of closing our eyes.

Then I close the gap between us. My fingers glide across Lucian's jaw and trace all the way up to his hair. I stare into his eyes, searching, desperate, wanting to keep his gaze in my memory forever.

"I love you, Lucian," I say again.

"I love you, Aria," He whispers and he leans in. He kisses me deeply and I allow him to consume me while I do the same. My fingers run through his hair and I am out of breath as he kisses my jaw and then my neck.

He pulls off my shirt and then my shorts and I fumble to undress him as well. The feeling of him against me with nothing between us is euphorically devastating. I don't want to close my eyes even though his assault on my body brings me to near destruction.

Instead I watch the pink in his cheeks and the sweat that gathers across his forehead as he looks down at me. I have never seen him look more handsome than he does now. I forget everything and everyone else. No one and nothing else matters as we make love to each other like our lives depend on it.

Like it is the last time.

Longg chapter!! Hope you guys enjoyed and thanks so much for the support :) :)