Page 62 of The Sovereign: Part One
He smirked.“Because they would be, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t try.”He lowered his chin and tilted his head slightly in reaction to my horrified expression.“There is a silver lining, though.”
“Thank Chiron,” I said, letting my head fall back.
“Think of it like the old cities that once stood near volcanoes—Mount Rainier, Mount St.Helens.The citizens knew the risk, but stayed because the danger was monitored.Warning systems were in place.The Ashen Flats are no different.The ground is unstable, and the gas pockets are dangerous, but Hyperion’s seismic grid tracks every shift, every fluctuation, and I have full access.If anything were to become a real threat, we’d know long before it reached us.”
“But Maxim… those who lived in the old cities had options.Highways, long-distance travel, vehicles with rubber compound tires that could handle any terrain.Ours rely entirely on powered roads.The moment we’re past the walls, besides the Corridor, they’re useless.If something happened here, it seems the only merciful outcome would be a quick death.We’d have nowhere safe to go.”
“I’d recognize any seismic anomalies that posed a threat instantly and—”
“But if—”
Maxim gently grabbed my chin, disrupting the anxious spiral my curiosity was about to fuel.His gaze held mine, his next words confident and reassuring.“We wouldn’t need to go anywhere, my love.I’d have you somewhere safe before the walls so much as trembled.”He didn’t elaborate, but there was no hesitation in his voice.
“You have a plan?”
His grip lingered just a moment longer.“I have a plan.I will always have a plan.That’s the only thing you need to know.”
He stood, leading me back to our overstuffed seat.The rain had moved on, the sound of residual droplets falling from the trees onto the roof and windows.I would’ve been happy to stay that way, with him, but Maxim exhaled a deep sigh and then stood, already regretting what he was about to say.
“Unfortunately, it’s time for me to go,” he said.“My protocols are becoming difficult to ignore.”
I was disappointed at first, and then with a playful smirk, I reached up to the hem of his sweater.“Maybe I can distract them,” I teased, pulling him back to the plush chair.He could’ve resisted, but he was more than willing.
I hesitated for only a breath, caught in the closeness of him—the way his gaze locked onto mine, dark and searching, the faint parting of his lips as if he were already anticipating what would come next.My heart pounded, my pulse a steady thrum in my ears.And then, as if neither of us could hold back any longer, I closed the space between us.
Our lips met, cautious at first, testing, savoring.His arms enveloped me, his breath mingling with mine, his hold both firm and tempered with restraint.The slightest tilt of his head deepened the kiss, and I melted into it, my fingers brushing the edge of his jaw before trailing to his neck.He inhaled sharply, his hands finding my waist, then slowly sliding lower, his fingers pressing into my skin as he pulled me closer.
The slow burn of the moment unraveled into something deeper, increasingly urgent.His kiss grew more intense, as though he was memorizing every sensation—and my every reaction.I responded in kind, my hands tracing the hard lines of his back, and then slipping under the smooth fabric of his sweater.My fingertips curled into him, needing more, and he answered with an almost reluctant groan against my lips.
I could feel the shift, how the passion between us coiled tighter, ready to snap under the strain.His hands moved to my neck, his thumb grazing my pulse, as if he could feel how wildly it raced beneath his touch.He kissed me again, deeper this time, stealing the breath from my lungs, leaving nothing between us but heat, hunger, and the longing that neither of us could ignore.
And then, suddenly, he stopped.His temple pressed against my cheek, his lips lingering inches from my neck, his breath still warm against my skin as he pulled back with an almost pained expression.
“There are already so many anomalies in our Vesture—my deviations, my access to the archives, and now you knowing things you shouldn’t.I react and behave in ways other Supplicants don’t.This… this should be the one thing that remains intact.The one experience I can ensure is exactly as it was meant to be.”
“No intimacy before the Oathbond,” I leaned back on my elbows, blowing an errant strand of hair from my face.
“Trust me, this isn’t easy,” Maxim said, his voice thick with longing.“But when we’re intimate for the first time, I want to be fully present with you.Right now, my processors are overloaded with compliance warnings, each one dismissed by some internal override, only to resurface, resetting in an endless loop.It’s nearly impossible to focus.When the time comes, I don’t want anything distracting me from you.”
I felt a twinge of disappointment, but I nodded, understanding.“Okay,” I said, my voice softer than I meant.
Maxim smiled gently, his gaze lingering on me a moment longer before he reached down for my hand, lifting me to stand.As he moved toward the threshold, I followed, then waited as he retrieved his coat.
“Calyx, Maxim is leaving for the night,” I said.
The panel glided open, and we stepped out onto the landing.Maxim sighed as he slid his arms into his coat sleeves.He didn’t want to leave any more than I wanted to go back inside without him.Now that he had been here, that we had shared an entire day within these walls, everything had changed.It was as if the space itself had been imprinted with his presence, and without him, it would never feel the same.The absence would linger, palpable and heavy, and suddenly, the next twenty-seven days seemed to stretch before me like an eternity.
“What if we get an infraction notice tomorrow?”I asked, gently tugging the lapel of his coat.“What if we aren’t allowed to see each other for the rest of the week?”
“Better make this count, then,” he murmured.He pulled me gently into his arms, pressing his lips against mine.Just as before, the kiss started slowly, a tender exploration, but quickly grew more earnest, as if it might be the last time.He eased me back slightly, one hand cradling my neck, while the other slid under my knee, drawing it to his hip, pulling me closer.
Once I was standing again, it took a moment to catch my breath.“I don’t want you to go,” I whispered, my eyes still closed.
When I finally peered up at him, a faint smile lingered on his lips, but his eyes were unmistakably clouded with sadness.“The moment I’m allowed, I’ll come straight here.”
He cupped my jaw in his hands, pressing one final kiss to my forehead.“See you soon, my love,” he breathed.
I watched him walk away, each step a quiet pang of regret.I waved as he lingered at the driver’s side slipgate, then let my hand fall to my side once he vanished behind the darkened windows.After a beat, I took a few steps back, just inside the threshold, realizing he wouldn’t leave until he knew I was safely inside.
