Page 113 of Legacy of Chaos

“The suppressant is why I’m here.” He inhaled, the twinge of tenderness in his chest punctuating his words. “Apparently, it’s killing me.”

“Excuse me?” She stared at him as if trying to figure out if she’d heard him right. “Killing you? Did you know it was dangerous?”

“Yeah.” He shifted to face her, pushing through the soreness that seemed to permeate every cell of his body. “Eidolon warned me about it a few weeks ago.”

“A fewweeks ago? And you kept using it? What the hell, Stryke? You have Masumi! Why would you not be with her if you knew the suppressant was killing you?”

He caught a whiff of her anger, a hint of smoke mixing with her clean, metallic scent, and his entire body flooded with warmth and arousal. He loved being near her. Loved what being near her did to him. Even when she was angry at him.

“So, you want me to be with Masumi?”

She shoved angrily to her feet. “No. I don’t. I admit it. But I also recognize your biological imperatives, and we agreed to non-exclusivity, so I have no right to be jealous—”

“You’re jealous?”

“Oh, please, you know I am,” she snapped. “And wipe that smirk off your face.”

He laughed and caught her hand. “I don’t want to be with Masumi,” he said. “Ever since we got back from theSea Storm, the thought of it feels like a betrayal. But it felt like a lot to ask of you if we weren’t exclusive.”

There was a long pause. “Then maybe we should be,” she said quietly.

A pang of desire and something deeper and stronger centered in his chest. He’d always gotten what he wanted, and there was nothing he wanted more, right in this minute, than to call this female his.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice rough. “It’s a lot—”

He broke off as she leaned over and slanted her mouth over his, silencing him in the best way.

“I’m sure,” she murmured against his lips.

He wrapped his arm around her and hauled her up onto the bed so she was lying on top of him, her legs tangled with his. He arched his pelvis into hers, making his erection blatantly known.

“Oh, my,” she breathed as she shoved herself up onto her elbows. “Just let me lock the door…”

They made it quick. At least, as quick as it could be, given that, for fifteen minutes afterward, Cyan had to lay there and muffle her moans every time a climax rolled through her.

“Everyone is going to know what we did,” she said against Stryke’s throat as she panted through another one.

“Don’t worry about it.” His voice vibrated through her, deep and comforting, and she snuggled in closer. “For my people, sex is no different than breathing. Everyone knows we’re breathing in here, and they don’t care, you know?”

She’d never really thought about it that way before. She’d grown up in the human world, where sex was often stigmatized, shamed, and even regulated. But for Stryke and his family, it wasjust another aspect and requirement of life, as vital yet mundane as eating, sleeping, or breathing.

Still, she wasn’t looking forward to facing everyone in the waiting room.

Stryke’s fingers, which had been stroking her arm as they lay there, went motionless. His chest rose and fell in deep, even breaths, and a couple of purring snores slipped between his full lips.

Good. He needed the rest.

Once the orgasm storm blew over, she cleaned up and dressed in the private bathroom. A few minutes later, she tiptoed out of the room and walked down the long, gray hallways to the private waiting room.

Runa looked up from her book the moment Cyan entered, looking tired and worried. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s resting.” She looked around at all the empty chairs. “Where is everyone?”

“They went to the cafeteria.” Runa put aside her book. “Do you want anything? I can message them.”

“No, thank you. I’m fine.”

“Maybe some water? You look a little flushed, and you must be tired.”

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