Page 54 of Decadence

Shocked and horrified, she shook her head slowly. “T-that doesn’t even make sense. Why would such a process even exist?”

The General offered a minuscule shrug. “In more savage times, it clearly conferred some sort of survival advantage upon our species. Now, perhaps it has saved us again. If not for the Mating Fever, I never would have set my sights upon Earth.”

He’s had it too? Sienna couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of human could be a match for this intimidating creature.

“On this rare occasion, the Mating Fever might prove to be a lifesaver for Ikriss. He has lost his heart and his lungs and his major vessels. He is still fighting the remnants of a deadly toxin. My medic will give him new organs… but even with the aid of nanites, they may not take unless his healing is significantly boosted. That is why Zharek will manipulate his biology and accelerate the Mating Fever.”

“To make him heal faster. But from what you’re telling me, that will be dangerous, won’t it?”

“It is his only chance at life. Ikriss is a warrior; an exceptionally skilled one. The demands of combat placed upon his body cannot be satisfied by machines. Without a true heart, his lifespan would be significantly shortened. And I know him. He would rather die than live an incomplete existence. He would risk death to be able to protect you.”

She thought she understood. “It’s all or nothing for you Kordolians, isn’t it?”

The General smiled, baring his fangs. “Perhaps you understand us better than you might think.”

“So… this Mating Fever. How do you cure it?”

“You already know the answer to that.”

A quiver of excitement snaked between her thighs. She resisted the urge to squirm. “We are… supposed to… er, mate?”

“Precisely. That is why I have brought you here. To see the male who will claim you as his. To understand.” A knot formed between the General’s pale eyebrows as he frowned, looking slightly pained. “The circumstances are not ideal. I know what human females expect. I have some experience with your culture, your rituals. And rest assured, I do not believe in forced mating any more than you or even my very own mate, but I will also do everything in my power to ensure that my Commander survives.” His crimson eyes became hard and cold like glittering garnets, and suddenly Sienna realized how truly powerless she was.

There was nowhere to run.

Nowhere to hide.

These Kordolians had marked her, and her life would never be the same again.

And then there was Ikriss.

A man—no, alien—that she barely knew.

She stared up at the glowing blue tank; at those awful black wires and tubes. They half-encased the Kordolian in a dark, sinister caress, transforming him into something not-quite-natural; a creature of metal and flesh.

She stared up his elegant features, which, for whatever reason, looked slightly strained.

She stared up into burning eyes.

Eyes that were fixed only upon her.

Heat mingled with silent fury in those golden depths.

What?

H-he’s awake, she tried to blurt, but her lips weren’t moving.

Inside the tank, his silver hands rose, his obsidian claws fully extended. Ikriss kicked and flailed, his powerful body twisting in the blue liquid, generating a flurry of bubbles.

He tore at the tubes and wires, ripping them out of his body.

The General swore softly under his breath as he started to move. “Zharek,” he snapped.

For the first time, Sienna noticed the long-haired medic standing in the far corner. His attention was intensely fixated upon a floating holo-display showing an array of complicated blue Kordolian characters.

“He is supposed to be sedated,” the medic growled. “That dose should be more than sufficient to keep him under. But now he’s pulled out the drug-line, and—”

The General didn’t allow the medic to finish. Moving so fast he became a blur, he leapt up and pulled himself over the edge of the tank, plunging into the viscous blue liquid. The two Kordolians tussled in slow-motion; frantically and yet somehow graceful. Tubes and wires twisted about. Muscles flexed. Bubbles shimmered and wobbled as they rose slowly to the surface.

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