Page 38 of Decadence

Strong, but fragile.

That’s what humans were.

“What do you want, Kordolian?” she demanded. “Of all the people you could have sent, why are you here? Give me a straight answer for once.”

“I want to ensure your safety. And I want to know why you were targeted in the first place.” I want you. A wisp of impatience slipped through a microscopic crack in his self-control. “We do not leave things unfinished, and your Universe will never be the same again. Like it or not, you are our responsibility now.”

She bristled. “Says who?”

“Me.”

“And who the hell are you exactly, Ikriss? I mean, who the fuck just drops onto a foreign planet and sets up base, completely unnoticed? We have authorities too. Enforcers. A world government. A system that works.”

Yes, but nothing you humans possess can stand against what I fear is coming.

Or against us.

“As I said, I’m a mercenary. The rest of my history is long and tedious. It is all listed on the parchment I gave you.”

“Paper.”

“Yes. That.” Ikriss didn’t see any need to conceal who he was. Either she accepted him as he was, or…

Well, there was no other option, was there?

Sienna’s lips curved downwards into an adorable little frown. “And so is this little undertaking of yours is part of the contract, too? Because as far as I can tell, I don’t think I can afford someone like you.”

Ikriss shrugged. “You don’t have to afford me. For you, my protection is guaranteed.”

“But why?”

Sensing another opening—now she was curious—Ikriss bared his fangs. “Why don’t you take the time to find out?”

He had to take this slowly. It was as the General had told him. “Human females are complicated creatures. They do not see a mating as a simple phenomenon. For them, it goes far beyond simple biological attraction. With time, you will come to understand their way of thinking, too… well, not completely understand, because no sane Kordolian male could ever understand them, but you will learn to anticipate their needs.”

“I don’t like riddles,” she said flatly, but the pink flush in her cheeks betrayed her. Ikriss wanted nothing more than to reach out and brush the delicate skeins of wispy golden hair away from her face; to lean in and taste her delicate pink lips… but he held back, because he was not some horny, callow youth who didn’t know the meaning of self-discipline, nor was he a crass, self-indulgent, Empire-loving bastard who couldn’t keep his cock in his pants.

He was an Aikun hunter, and he understood the value of patience.

“I am not toying with you, Sienna. I see threats around you. Criminals. Predators. Bad debts.”

She crossed her arms, defiant again. “You heard about that, huh? Please don’t tell me you’re going to offer to pay out my debts too.”

“No,” he said softly. “I would never attempt to compromise your honor like that.” He would not pay any of those pathetic humans a single credit. He would simply make her creditors understand that she was his now.

If they chose to make trouble for her after that, they would be risking death by his hand.

It was as simple as that.

Perhaps there was something strange in his expression, because she stared back at him with an intensity he’d never seen before. Her pupils dilated a fraction. Her lips parted ever so slightly, offering him a glimpse of soft pink temptation.

Sienna straightened her cap and tucked the stray wisps of hair behind her ears.

The shadows melted from her eyes.

She seemed to come to some sort of conclusion.

Her expression grew steely and determined, and he drank in her fire as if it were an intoxicating drug.

---