Page 103 of Decadence

Content in his warm embrace, she sighed. “All I know we’ve both been through hell to get to this point, and I don’t care how bad you think you are. You’re my terrible Kordolian.”

“Always,” he agreed.

She shook her head in disbelief, unable to come to terms with the perfectness of it all. “I’ve always made a point of existing on my own terms, but this feels different. I don’t even understand what’s happening anymore. It’s too big for me to fight on my own, Ikriss.”

“Shush.” He pressed a finger to her lips and teased them apart. She couldn’t help but wrap her lips around his callused fingertip, teasing him with the tip of her tongue. “There is no need to ask. You already know I’ll do anything to please you… and to keep you safe.” He gently spun her around and planted a soft kiss on her lips. “You know, that makes you one of the most powerful beings in this Universe, my love.” A mischievous smile hovered at the corners of his lips.

“I really couldn’t care less about power or anything like that,” Sienna retorted, returning his half-smile. “I’m a simple girl, Commander. I just want to know that my people are safe, and I just want to keep doing my thing. Seems like I’ve got a lot of work to do, trying to convince an entire species that food isn’t just a form of sustenance.”

“Well, you are doing a brilliant job of convincing me so far.” He licked his lower lip; a tiny, tantalizing gesture that was at odds with his fierce expression. “After I deal with all the unfinished business from this operation, you should come with me on a journey… a holiday, as you humans call it.” He grinned, flashing his fangs. “I know many good places in the Universe, including some that have escaped the Empire’s destructive attention.”

“Escaped? You knew about them, yet you didn’t…”

“I might have been the Empire’s tool, but I did not see the need to unnecessarily disturb places that the nobles hadn’t yet cast their greedy eyes over.”

She tried to imagine him; a cold and ruthless commander of the most powerful military in the Nine Galaxies, secretly and deliberately ignoring entire planets… civilizations, because he knew what his people were capable of.

And to think she’d once believed that all Kordolians were just evil bastards.

In reality, it was a lot more complicated than that.

You’re a good man, Ikriss… even though you’ve probably done some terrible things.

“Can we go to… your home planet, too? I want to see the place where you—” Sienna paused and checked herself. Based on what he’d told her and the snippets she’d heard from Earth’s media, a lot of bad shit had gone down on the mysterious so-called Dark Planet. Maybe Ikriss didn’t want to go back there. “I mean, only if it isn’t any trouble. I don’t want to—”

“Relax, my love.” Ikriss chuckled softly. “We control Kythia now. I have no reservations about going back there, and it is not as bleak as the stories would have you believe… not anymore. There are some intensely beautiful places on the other side of the Vaal. I know of a certain mountaintop where the stars appear so bright and intense you would think you could pluck them out of the sky with your very own hands.” He placed his hands on her shoulders; intense, earnest, impossible to resist. “I would be honored to show you my home planet… that is, if your commitments will allow.”

Sienna gave him a sly look. “Why, you mean I don’t have to give up my livelihood and become a kept woman for your exclusive pleasure, Commander?”

How amazing that he made her feel comfortable enough to joke about such things, even though a much worse fate had almost become a reality for her.

Ikriss frowned, somehow managing to look both stern and adorable at the same time. “You are indeed exclusively mine,” he growled. “As I am exclusively yours, and although you give me immense pleasure, I would never demand that you relinquish your craft; your livelihood. That would go against everything I stand for. I realize that taking you away from your small empire may cause some problems, but I am working on a solution that I believe will work well for all of us. You don’t have to give up anything to be with me.”

Sienna’s heart skipped a beat. “Oh yeah? How are you going to manage that?”

Ikriss gave her a cryptic smile. “As I said, I am working on it. You will find out in due course. It is a surprise.”

“I’m can’t stop worrying about what we left back there on Earth. It all happened so fast. The last thing I remember was seeing a total clusterfuck back there on the ground. There were strange men with weird guns in the crowd. It was…”

He reached out and caressed the side of her cheek with the callused pads of his fingers, his touch achingly tender. How was it possible that so much darkness and sweetness could be contained together inside one body? “Do not worry, my love. We would never allow anyone—let alone mere humans—take what is ours.” A look of perfect cold arrogance crossed his features, startling her. It was so much at odds with the spine-tingling tenderness she’d received from him. Sometimes, she almost forgot how dangerous he truly was.

There was so much about him she still didn’t understand.

But that didn’t mean she was going to let him get away with being so haughty.

Sienna glared at him. “I’m one of these mere humans, in case you’ve forgotten. I’m all for you going after the humans that sold us into slavery, but please don’t lump all of us in with those assholes. And I’m warning you, don’t underestimate my species. We might seem backward and weak to you, but there are some real ruthless ones amongst my kind.”

The look Ikriss gave her was fire trapped in ice. “I couldn’t care less about those humans you speak of. And you are wrong. Nothing about you is mere.” In that moment, he looked perfectly alien; a creature of nightmares and dreams.

Benevolent and gentle one moment, cold and terrifying the next.

But not terrifying to her.

Never to her.

And he was all hers.

Holy fuck, what have I gotten myself into?

---