Page 19 of The Alien's Vicious Starflash Manor

The realization sends an uncomfortable chill through my veins, warring with the heat of my desire. I’ve been counting on their differences making them easier to manipulate. Instead, their bond may prove a greater obstacle than I anticipated.

My cock jumps toward her as Lara moves past me to check on her sister, and I ache for her, desperate to lose myself in her heat until duty and destiny are nothing but distant dreams.

But I am the Duke of Starfrost. I have responsibilities that go beyond my own desires. The fate of my world hangs in the balance.

And for the first time since I conceived this plan, I wonder if I’ve miscalculated what the Evans sisters are truly capable of.

Or what I am…

Especially when Lara has turned out to be a temptation I never anticipated.

And one I’m not sure I can continue to resist—no matter how much she and I might both fight against it.

CHAPTER 6

IVRAEL

Halfway through the faster-than-light trip back home to Trasq, I exit my cryocasket, as usual.

I could remain in stasis through the entire flight—as most Caix pilots, the few who exist, often do—relying on Cyan to wake me if anything goes wrong.

Not me. I like the quiet of space. And I love the freedom to turn up the heat, to revel in the warmth—something I can’t do when the rest of the crew’s awake.

No. Bad enough my servants already whisper about my preference for fires in my chambers, my desire for cooked food.

Better if they learn nothing more.

This time, though, my time for quiet reflection is interrupted.

“Captain Ivrael,” Cyan’s voice breaks through the comfortable silence, “Lady Uanna is attempting to establish communication.”

I freeze in the act of adjusting the environmental controls. “What?”

“Lady Uanna. You know, your former lover? The one who?—”

“I know who she is.” My fingers tighten on the control panel. “How is she even managing to contact us?”

“Through one of the regulated comm channels. Very clever of her, actually. She’s routing it through official Ice Court channels, making it look like a priority missive from Prince Jonyk himself.”

Of course she is. Uanna always did know how to work the system to her advantage. “Put her through.”

The holographic display flickers to life, static crackling across the image before resolving into Uanna’s form.

Even through the unstable connection, her beauty is striking—all ice-pale skin and white-blonde hair, with those crystalline blue eyes that once captivated me. She embodies everything an Icecaix noble should be.

Everything I’m not.

“Ivrael.” Her smile curves like a crescent moon, sharp enough to draw blood.

“Lady Uanna,” I reply, keeping my tone cool but polite.

“How fortunate I caught you awake.” She’s wearing court clothing—layers of white and silver silk that make her look as if she’s been carved from fresh snow. Even if Cyan hadn’t told me, I would have known she was back in Jonyk’s castle.

I lean back in my captain’s chair, grateful for the years of practice at maintaining a neutral expression. The familiar scent of ice roses seems to drift through the recycled ship’s air—impossible, of course, but memory is a powerful thing. “To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”

She tilts her head, and the gesture is so familiar it makes my stomach clench. “Can’t I simply wish to speak with an old friend?”

“You’re using restricted channels.” I gesture at the console’s readouts. “Channels that could get us both executed if we’re caught. This isn’t a social call.”

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