Page 35 of Decadence

“Have you got eyes on the target?” Ikriss murmured into his comm, speaking Kordolian as he followed Sienna through her little domain, which was filled with quaint wooden furniture and greenery and warm lighting and pictures of strange places that he presumed were on Earth.

Humans had an uncanny knack for being able to inject warmth into a place. To Ikriss, who was used to the dark, stark, utilitarian interiors of Kordolian ships, the wholesomeness of it all was so utterly alien.

Everything about this place was an expression of her.

He almost felt like an intruder here, invading her personal sanctuary.

But if he had to invade to get what he wanted, then so be it.

It was what he’d always done.

“I’ve got a lock on the vehicle,” said Lodan from the rooftop of the very same building. “I’m going after them.”

“Good. You know what to do.”

“Always.”

“The human’s name is Connor. Scare him a little, won’t you?” Ikriss terminated the comm, confident that Lodan would track down this Connor person, scare the fucking spirits out of him, and obtain the information they needed.

What information did that bastard know about the recent female abductions? If Ikriss got even the slightest hint that this Connor was involved in Sienna’s capture, he would eviscerate the cocky human himself.

As he followed Sienna through a food preparation room, with its gleaming metal surfaces and strange substances and smells—some of which overwhelmed his sensitive nose with sickly sweetness—he was treated to a tantalizing glimpse of her from behind.

Her soft golden hair was tied in a neat tail, but a few pale wisps had escaped here and there, curling around the exposed nape of her neck.

The faintest pink line was still visible there, just above the edge of her shirt.

It was the mark from where the Ephrenians had collared her.

Quietly, Ikriss seethed. How could they have done such a thing to this delicate creature, who was so brave and determined even when she was perfectly defenseless?

He drank in the stubborn set of her slender shoulders; the elegant curve of her back beneath her crisp white top. He delighted in the sway of her hips as she walked, seeking out the sumptuous curve of her ass, allowing himself to drown a little in her warm, spicy scent.

Now that he had decided to pursue her, he could no longer ignore those decadent little details.

Thank the goddess Zyara had injected him with a dose of relaxant medication before he came down to Earth. Ikriss didn’t like to rely on medications, but in this case, it was necessary. He had a job to do. The Mating Fever ebbed and surged, but it was still there, barely controlled beneath his calm exterior.

“This way.” She barely slowed as she stepped through a narrow doorway that led to a small, sparsely furnished room. Against a wall made from ancient looking brown bricks sat a tattered grey sofa. In the far corner, there was a small wooden desk upon which sat one of those archaic looking human machines—a computer—with its cube-shaped grey metal engine and thin display screen. A half empty cup of coffee rested alongside it, filling the room with the faint scent of aromatic bitterness.

As soon as Ikriss closed the door behind him, Sienna whirled to face him. “What are you doing here, Ikriss?” she demanded, and he couldn’t help but admire the subtle pink blush that had infused her cheeks.

What did it mean when humans turned pink? He would have to ask one of his brothers.

How curious.

How delightful.

What an exquisite thing she was.

But right now, she wasn’t happy with him. Ikriss was no expert at reading humans, but even he could tell that Sienna was displeased. It was telegraphed in the way she narrowed her eyes; in the stiff set of her jaw. There was fire in her gold-flecked eyes, but they also held echoes of pain and fear.

She was still a little afraid of him, even if she didn’t act like it.

He would have to do something about that.

“Why are you here?” she repeated, stepping into his radius. One of her hands was tucked into the front pocket of her garment—a rectangular piece of fabric that extended down to her knees. Two narrow ties secured it snugly around her waist, accentuating her curves.

She was holding something tightly. Ikriss could just make out the outline of a tiny blade.

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