Page 110 of Decadence

He closed his eyes and let her take him higher.

Again.

And again.

He would do it all over again just to be with her.

Even if it meant stepping into death’s cold shadow.

But those dark thoughts were obliterated in an instant as she leaned in to kiss him, and all he could do was kiss her back, tasting sweetness and light and everything that he wasn’t supposed to have…

But he would take it all, because she was his and only his.

Chapter Twenty-Three

She didn’t know whether it was morning or night or the middle of the day in Earth time—New York time; her time—and she couldn’t care less, because here in Ikriss’s dimly lit quarters, where everything was curved and cocoon-like and intimate and quiet, she had no connection to that world, and part of her liked the feeling of total freedom that came with being up in space.

And of course, her badass long-haired, obsidian-horned, totally cut-and-ripped, and scarily hyper-focused Kordolian warrior was enough distraction for about a hundred lifetimes.

But she couldn’t just sever her deep ties with the place she came from, and for the most part, she was itching to get back to Earth; to her people and her business—to everything that was warm and familiar and nice—and she hoped to hell that the latter hadn’t sustained too much damage in the aftermath of that crazy assassin’s attack.

As she dried herself off and reached for the clothes that had mysteriously appeared in Ikriss’s quarters—nude-colored undies and a bra, a stretchy long-sleeved tee, and a pair of flowing pants that reminded her of something a martial artist might wear, all in stylish black, of course—a resigned sigh reached her ears.

“Ikriss?” she forgot about the clothes and sought him out, following the sound of his voice.

She found him in the small dark antechamber that led to the entrance of his quarters. At first, she could barely make him out in the shadows.

But then her eyes adjusted, and she saw his outline.

One arm was up, his powerful biceps flexed. Something flashed in the darkness.

A blade.

A few days ago, the sight would have terrified her, but now she just felt calm.

Ikriss would never hurt her.

“I am sorry, Sienna, but this is necessary.”

“What are you doing, Ikriss? Come here into the light, where I can see you.”

Her mesmerizing Kordolian inclined his head and stepped into a small patch of blue light. He wore nothing but a pair of simple loose trousers that were a midnight shade of blue.

Everything the silver aliens wore was either dark blue or black, and it suited them perfectly well.

His long white hair was pulled into a long tail atop his head, a style that accentuated his sharp, elegant features. In his right hand was a medium-sized blade made of pure black metal.

He seemed strangely subdued.

The sight of the blade sent a chill through her. “Wh-what’s that for?”

His gaze held a strange disquiet; a darkness she couldn’t ever hope to untangle. But that look was only fleeting, and it was quickly replaced with a warrior’s cold resolve. “These horns… in another life I would have kept them, but to wear them now would be an arrogant indulgence.”

Sienna froze and blinked twice, not quite comprehending the words that were coming out of Ikriss’s mouth. “Y-you what?”

Ikriss dipped his head, breaking eye contact. “My kind do not usually wear horns. I have enjoyed your touch upon them immensely, but these appendages serve no use other than to enhance my own pleasure, and they are most certainly not compatible with battle armor.”

Sienna glanced leerily at the obsidian blade. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to do anything insane, like cut off those beautiful black horns of yours.”

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