Page 59 of A Delicate Conquest

It wasn’t too long before they were punching through Earth’s atmosphere, through the thick clouds, honing in on Bea’s home city of Sydney.

And at the mere thought of her, his Mating Fever, which had been subdued for the past three rotations, returned with full force, momentarily chasing away his unease.

The ship slowed as it went lower in altitude, gliding over a motley arrangement of rooftops old and new, low and high.

It was late in the daylight phase, and the sun was beginning to slide beyond the horizon, painting the cityscape with golden light.

Protected from behind ultraviolet-filtering glass, Mavrel was quietly entranced. The cities of Earth were simplistic and imperfectly designed, and yet there was a certain charm tothe way humans arranged themselves. Orderly rows. Carefully sculpted vegetation. Shiny, polished glass-and-stone hubs for congregating in large numbers. Bodies of water lined with walkways and paved spaces where humans walked and children played.

Earth was vibrant. Spontaneous. Resonating with the energy of the sun’s light and millions of human bodies.

In the fading daylight, the city glowed.

They drifted over a densely populated residential area, where the buildings appeared older and simpler, and the vegetation was denser. Hard black roads snaked between the complexes, allowing wheeled vehicles to navigate through.

Humans were walking around, some of them being led by small furry animals on leads.Dogs,they were apparently called. Infernal things, just like that small black beast Tarak had adopted. It went by eitherBumpyorRagakorr,depending on who was calling it.

The cursed creature had never allowed Mavrel to go near it, disappearing in a blur of black fur whenever he was in sight.

Temperamental thing.

He didn’t understand why a former General of the Imperial Kordolian Military would be interested in such a creature in the first place, but who had ever understood Tarak’s mind, anyway?

“We’ve arrived,” Rukan announced as the cruiser came to a stop above the rooftop terrace of Bea’s residential complex.

“Thanks, brother.” Mavrel carefully cradled his package in one arm. He slipped on a pair of dark lenses to protect his sensitive eyes and stepped through the hatch as it opened, leaping from the invisible ship onto the rooftop.

He landed easily, his soft boots barely making a sound.

Then, it was a simple matter of crossing the rooftop, entering through the open door, and descending the flight of stairs just like Bea had described until he was on the sixth floor.

He went down the quaint, breezy corridor—which was open on all sides—until he reached a door that was bright yellow.

Yellow.

He’d never seen such a color on any functional item in the Universe.

How audacious.

It was totally her.

Mavrel heard the soft patter of footsteps—unmistakablyhers.

Even before she came to the door, he detected her tantalizing scent. Her presence enveloped him from behind the solid barrier, a prelude to the excitement of their meeting.

He, who usually planned out everything in advance, right down to the smallest detail, had no idea what to expect.

It was strangely exhilarating.

Suddenly, the door was open, and he found himself staring at the most glorious creature he’d ever encountered in his life.

“Hello, Mavrel.”

She smiled.

His heart burst. It felt like his insides had turned into energy, infinite particles of light spreading throughout his body.

She was dressed simply in a cream-coloured dress made of coarse natural fabric. Otherwise unadorned, she’d elegantly arranged her hair atop her head, the style accentuating her natural beauty and exposing the elegant column of her neck, which he longed to press his lips against.

---