Page 60 of Decadence

Chapter Sixteen

His eyes fluttered open, revealing a world cast in shades of blue and grey; familiar and yet oh-so strange.

He wasn’t used to being on this side of the stasis tank’s transparent walls.

Zharek had sedated him again.

Because he’d seen her, and he could no longer control how his body responded.

Had he ever really been in control?

It hadn’t been a dream. Tarak had actually brought Sienna inside the medical bay and allowed her to see him in this wretched artificial state.

He silently cursed his boss for being such an infernal scheming know-it-all.

Ikriss was sorely tempted to give the General a piece of his mind, but Tarak rarely did anything without some sort of purpose or strategy in mind, and he had to admit that seeing Sienna had brought a sliver of sanity back, even if her presence made him mad and as horny as all the hells.

To see her in the flesh and then have to hold back from claiming her, because she was so obviously frightened, even if her arousal was obvious…

Now that was an exquisite torture, indeed.

“The Mating Fever burns through my drugs far too quickly.” Zharek’s voice captured his attention as it filtered through the sound nodes in his breathing helmet. “You keep drifting in and out of consciousness, and I don’t want to load you up with too high of a dose, because your tolerance is increasing too rapidly. Better to keep you conscious until the surgery.”

“Agreed,” Ikriss growled, relieved to find that he could actually speak again. His face was no longer restricted by that infernal breathing mask. “How long until my organs are ready?”

“Two rotations at the most. Knowing you, it will feel like an eternity.” The medic barely glanced up from his monitors and instruments. The soft blue glow of the holos lent his face an unnatural cast, making him appear emotionless and almost machine-like; a Kordolian extension of the Sylth that controlled their vast fleet. Ikriss had never really understood the unique relationship Zharek seemed to have with the AI. Sometimes, the way the medic spoke of it, one would think it were a living entity. “The poison is almost out of your system,” he continued. “Your vitals have been stable for at least half a rotation now, so we can take you out of the tank and get you up and about. Don’t worry, Commander. My machines will sustain you until your new heart is ready.”

“They had better. I do not want any more surprises,” Ikriss said darkly as he fought to suppress the wave of revulsion that roiled through him. Although the logical part of him accepted the need for modifications, he was a traditional Aikun male at heart, and the Aikun believed the heart contained the soul.

That was why they ate the hearts of their bitterest enemies after they defeated them in battle.

How could he claim his mate when he was missing his very soul?

Ikriss grit his teeth. As a former Commander of the Empire, he’d relinquished his soul and his tribal ties a long time ago.

But now he was free of the old Imperial Military.

This was the new Universe, and he wasn’t bound by Imperial Law or tribal lore.

He could exist as he pleased.

“The only surprises you’ll be getting are where your future mate is concerned,” the medic said glibly. “But you will be a good soldier and steer clear of her until after your surgery, won’t you?”

“Steer clear?” Ikriss’s voice turned low and dangerous. Unless it was medically indicated, he did not take orders from Zharek, especially when it came to the pursuit of his mate. “What is the meaning of this, Zharek? I thought the Mating Fever was dangerous. Is it not better to extinguish it as soon as possible?”

“Well, usually, it is, but in your case, you don’t have a proper heart… or lungs. Right now, the demand that would be placed on your body by a vigorous mating has a higher likelihood of killing you than the fever itself.”

Ikriss went quiet as he contemplated the unpredictability of this existence. It was a long time since he’d been forced to change his ways.

He’d gotten comfortable in his role as commander… perhaps too comfortable.

Now this stubborn human female had come along and completely disorganized him.

Ikriss stared through the clear walls of his prison, craving freedom more than ever before. His chest felt strange, as if his heart were still intact and it was pounding as furiously as an Aikun war-drum.

Carnal thoughts flooded his mind.

He contemplated all the ways in which he could temper the excruciating fire in his veins. Need surged through him, emblazoning an image of her onto his mind’s eye.

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