Page 61 of Shattered Silence

“When I fuck you,” he whispered, “it will be at a time of our choosing, in a place of my choosing, and I will pleasure you exactly as I please.”

Heat rose in her cheeks as Layla became hot and flustered. The attraction between them was undeniable, and it wasn’t just because Enki had saved her ass in the most horrific of circumstances. An alien…

Jesus. Could they even… were they even compatible? They had to be, since Layla was seriously lusting after this man. She had no choice but to trust the biology, to trust that her body, heart, and mind knew what they were doing.

And since when had Kordolians always been this damn attractive? Why was she only noticing it now? They’d been all over the newsfeeds for some time now.

Silver skin, amber eyes, hair as white as the driven snow, fangs, and I bet he has a killer body under there…

Layla knew why.

It was because she’d spent her last few months on Earth holed up in her condo, paranoid as fuck, sliding deeper and deeper into the dark pit of depression, waiting for someone to deliver her from her own neurotic hell.

Help never came. Shit, what could any of her people do against the relentless push of the drone-a-razzi? On the verge of madness, she’d engineered her own escape. That was what Infinity-8 and Miridian-7 had been all about. Sheer desperation. She’d spent her entire fortune on that dream, only to see it get blown to pieces by a storm of stupid tiny rocks no bigger than the size of a marble.

She’d discovered what it was like to live at the very limits of human endurance, to dance with death, to kill a man…

Suddenly, all the things she’d been afraid of before became so insignificant.

“Excuse me, Enki,” she murmured, wiggling her hips provocatively so her ass brushed against his erection. He growled; a primal, dangerous sound. Careful.

“What are you playing at, human?”

“Who said you’re the only one who gets to do all the pleasuring?”

“I did not say that.” His voice was taut, like a wire wound tight, about to snap. His hand slid down from her waist to the curve of her hip. She shifted her weight. His cock twitched. He exhaled. “But I will make you beg for more, Layla of Earth.”

Layla didn’t doubt him one bit, because as Enki had already shown, he was a man of his word.

Chapter Twenty-Three

They navigated a convoluted route down corridors that were alternately wide then narrow, ending up in a section of the station that was—surprise, surprise—brightly lit. Layla could only guess at the distance they’d travelled, but it seemed like kilometers. No wonder Enki had commandeered this weird floating platform. Walking such a distance would have taken them ages.

Enki uttered a soft command, and the platform came to a complete stop outside a wide doorway. Warm light spilled out of the entrance, making whatever lay beyond seem welcoming and inviting and not at all scary.

“It has been customized to accommodate humans,” Enki said, following the direction of her gaze. “The lighting is a recent addition. I thought you would feel more comfortable here.”

“There are humans here?”

“They come, from time to time.”

“Who are they?” Layla wondered whether the Federation might be working with this mysterious Darkstar organization.

“The mates,” Enki shrugged. He held out his hand and helped her off the platform. Layla winced as her injured rib caught, sending a twinge of pain through her chest. She ignored it, hoping it would eventually go away. “It is not always possible for us to return to Earth between missions, so they occasionally spend time here.”

“Mates?” Layla blinked, suddenly feeling apprehensive. If they were Earth people, then they would know about her and her history, unless they’d been living under some sort of rock. Earth people didn’t tend to have a very high opinion of Layla Rose and her scandalous antics. Shit. How was she going to explain this to Enki? Would he see her differently after this? “I suppose it makes sense that I’m not the first human to fall for a Kordolian.” She looked up at him, deciding that it was better to be open about things that would eventually surface. “I have to warn you, they’ll probably—”

“Oh my god!” A distinctly human voice rang out. “Layla Rose?”

Too late. Layla took a deep breath and turned to face the one who had recognized her. “Hi,” she said, offering a half-wave.

The woman who stared back at Layla was about a head shorter than her, with brown hair arranged in a messy ponytail, hazel eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. “You’re the Layla Rose…” Her eyes widened a fraction as they flicked across to Enki, but she didn’t seem in the least bit intimidated by him. “Enki, you didn’t tell me who she was.” She shook her head, holding out a hand to Layla. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m some sort of crazy person. It’s just that I’m not used to seeing… well, you’re the very last person I expected Enki to bring in from out there. I’m Abbey. I absolutely loved you in Varaxian Raiders II.”

Taken aback, Layla took Abbey’s outstretched hand and shook, finding warmth in her firm grasp. “Thanks… I guess.” She paused, not used to interacting with humans after spending so much time alone. She wasn’t used to people professing their love for that particular holofilm, either. She hadn’t thought there was anybody on Earth who thought VRII was a good film, but apparently, she was wrong. “You, uh, live here?”

“Sometimes. My husband is carrying out a mission on a nearby planet, so it’s more convenient for us to be here for the time being. He can come and see us from time to time without having to travel all the way back to Earth.” She gestured over her shoulder, and Layla saw something most unexpected—plants. Not just any plants, but real Earth plants; palm trees, ferns, climbing plants, even a passionfruit vine. And the light here was… different. Warm and radiant, it almost felt like she was standing in sunlight. “This part of the station is ours. I’ve had it modified to suit our biology. Dark and gloomy isn’t my thing, you know.”

“This is… cool.” Layla’s head spun as she took in her surroundings. This was only the entrance hall, and yet it was full of plants. Beyond the entrance, the hall split off into several corridors, and Layla couldn’t help but wonder what kind of world Abbey had created on this massive floating fortress.

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