Page 57 of Decadence

For a moment, Sienna was in total and utter shock, and it felt sublime.

She let him have his way with her, enjoying the way he took control, oh-so sure of himself but always gentle.

She tasted spice and sweetness and a hint of darkness—ash and smoke and ice.

Her back arched.

A deep moan escaped her throat.

His fingers raked through her hair.

His chest—black metal and all—pressed against hers, teasing her erect nipples through the thin fabric of her robes.

At last, she responded, capturing his lower lip between hers, finding his tongue, feeling the tips of his fangs against hers, becoming more and more intoxicated by his overwhelming presence.

And then, all of a sudden, he withdrew, leaving her with his aftertaste and an unfulfilled promise burning in his golden eyes.

“That’s about all I can take for now,” he whispered, his voice taut with tension. “Otherwise, you will surely kill me, Sienna Adamo.”

“A-and we wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

A dark chuckle escaped him. “No, we wouldn’t. But for now, I need to go and hook myself back to these cursed machines, because as tempting as it is to die in your arms, I would much rather continue this conversation when I am whole again.” His voice cracked. His entire body trembled. His features twisted into a grimace of pain—so quickly hidden that she almost missed it.

He wasn’t the only one suffering.

Her body was on fire.

“Go and take some time to clear your head, Sienna. There is an entire zone you are permitted to explore on this ship. There is even a small swimming pool on the lowermost deck, if you are that way inclined.” His eyes turned hard as his gaze shot in the direction of her guards. “Anything you require; anything you ask for… it will be granted.”

Black-gloved hands saluted in the shadows.

“Ikriss…” Sienna touched his cheek in concern. His skin was a tad darker than before, and cool to the touch.

The Kordolian took a step backwards, swaying on his feet.

His eyelids fluttered and his gaze grew unfocused.

Sienna moved forward as if to steady him, but suddenly the General was there behind him, catching Ikriss in his arms, dragging his limp weight back toward the tank with ridiculous ease.

“Time for him to go back inside,” the General said calmly—too calmly—as Ikriss went completely unconscious. “Now perhaps you understand a little more of what I have told you.” He glanced over his shoulder at the guards. “Take her to the human quarters and make sure she gets anything she asks for—within reason.”

The guards materialized on either side of her. “Come on, human,” one of them said, his tone a little softer than last time. “Let’s get you to your quarters. You’ll have plenty of chances to square things with him once he’s fixed.”

Sienna glared at the alien. What was with the sudden good humor? She pulled her robe tightly around herself as a flush of embarrassment spread through her cheeks and into the tips of her ears.

The other guard uttered something under his breath in Kordolian. To her surprise, he sounded mildly… envious.

“Promise you’ll tell me as soon as you have any news on him.” Sienna looked over her shoulder, stealing one last glance at Ikriss as they escorted her out of the room. She took in his elegant features—now serene and relaxed—and his tousled wet hair and his powerful-but-damaged silver body. Now he was being carefully—almost delicately—handled by his superior as black tentacle-like projections descended all around him, preparing to draw him back into their dark alien embrace.

She had to trust that he was in good hands.

As she headed toward the exit, the medic’s amber gaze flicked toward her. He studied her with narrowed eyes, making her skin crawl.

“Interesting,” was all he said, deliberately saying the word in Universal so she could understand.

And then Sienna was whisked away into the shadowy corridors, left unfulfilled and wanting and frantic and desperate, wondering what the hell the medic meant by that.

Chapter Fifteen

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