Page 81 of Decadence

“Didn’t know that,” Rykal murmured softly in the background, letting out a low whistle.

Now there was a trace of moisture at the corners of Sienna’s eyes. “That’s… beautiful.”

Ikriss’s heart swelled with sadness and pride. This was just one of the lost stories of his people, the Aikun tribe, who had been clinging precariously to their existence ever since the rise of the Empire. Now their females were all but gone, and the old traditions were slowly being forgotten.

Impossibly, the look in Sienna’s eyes told him that she understood his sadness.

“I caught those fish, and you fed them to me, and in every single morsel that I ate, I tasted you.”

A look of surprise and wonder crossed her features, and Ikriss reveled in her innocence “I-I’m glad you liked it. I wasn’t trying to change the Universe or anything like that. I just couldn’t bear the thought of you not eating properly after everything you’d been through.”

Nobody had ever dared pay so much attention to Ikriss’s care and wellbeing before. Her innocence and goodwill washed over him like a healing salve. Silently, he vowed to protect her purity with every fiber in his being.

He took in her glorious appearance again; the stretchy, tight-fitting clothing, the simple utilitarian shoes. He made his voice mock-stern. “And where exactly were you planning to go, Sienna?”

The flush in her cheeks deepened as she looked down at her attire. “Arin says there’s a training room on the lower decks. We were going to exercise then swim.”

His interest sharpened. “You fight?”

She laughed softly. “Not everything involves fighting. I’m going to do yoga.”

“Yoga?”

“It’s a slow form of exercise. There’s a lot of stretching and posing involved. I was hoping to try and calm myself down a little. You’re making me crazy, Ikriss.” Her own gaze flicked in the direction of her chest, alerting him to the fact that her nipples were hard and erect; he could see their outline beneath the tight fabric of her top. “And where did you think you were going?”

Sweet Goddess, deliver me from this curse.

“I am off to immerse myself in a pool of freezing water in an attempt to try and preserve what little is left of my sanity. Are you coming?”

“N-now?” Nervously, she glanced over her shoulder. Arin and Rykal had retreated a little ways back, giving them space. “We aren’t supposed to be together right now, remember?”

Ikriss glanced over Sienna’s shoulder, briefly meeting his battle-brother’s steady gaze. “Rykal is First Division. No matter how badly I desire you, no harm will come to us while he is here.” He made a wry face. “In my current state, I can’t even lift a finger against him.”

“I take it these First Division guys are something else, huh?” Her smile held a little bit of wonder and a little bit of sharp-edged sarcasm.

That was good.

She was growing less and less afraid of them as time went on.

That pleased him immensely.

She should never, ever be afraid again.

Not of anything in the Universe, and definitely not of him.

“They are the closest thing to invincible in this Universe,” he chuckled, “but that is not to say that they can’t be brought to their knees by the right female.”

With a subfleet of warships under his command and one-fifth of the men answering directly to him, Ikriss arguably held more power than any of the First Division, with the exception of Tarak, of course.

But he was far from invincible.

And this female had so easily gotten past his defenses.

He rose to his feet, still holding her hands. Desire permeated every fiber of his being, but the thought of accidentally harming her was a powerful antidote to his Fever.

He stared down the corridor, toward the quiet, secluded room where the dark pool of water waited; an unknown promise that beckoned them both.

“Let’s go,” he whispered, gently pulling her toward him, even though he knew that he shouldn’t.

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