Page 9 of Decadence

Sienna looked at the Kordolian, then at Kyuri. “Can she come?” she said in Universal.

“What do you need me for?” the human mouthed, feigning shock.

“You know, for moral support?” Sienna glared at Kyuri. Don’t bail out on me now. You’re the one telling me how harmless they are.

“No,” the assistant said curtly. “He will speak with you alone.”

Shaking her head, Sienna stood. “Remember me if I don’t return,” she said dryly, switching back to English. “My restaurant’s called The Whisk and Pin. It’s on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. You’ll need to go and tell my staff that I love them… and to remember to water the plants.”

Kyuri waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t be silly. Come back when you’re done and help me find where the alcohol is at in this weird place. I could really do with a glass of wine or five. Then you can tell me all about it. You never know, it might be a thrill. There’s something about them that’s weirdly compelling, don’t you think?”

“Says you. See you in a bit.” Sienna shot her companion a baleful glare before scurrying after the disappearing Kordolian, breaking into a half-run just to catch up with him. Something in his tone told her she wouldn’t get another chance to meet this oh-so important superior—whoever he was.

Her heart rose into her throat. Since being brought onboard this dark, silent ship, she hadn’t really had any meaningful interactions with her silver-skinned minders. Between medical check-ups, the Kordolians had simply allowed the humans to interact amongst themselves—almost as if they knew that simply sharing their experiences amongst one another would be therapeutic in itself.

Sometimes, Sienna got the feeling she was part of some highly controlled social experiment. It was more than a little unnerving. What if they were being secretly observed? But at least it was light-years better than the way those creepy slender faceless aliens had treated them—like fucking animals.

They walked in a straight line for some time, until the corridor began to slope upwards ever so slightly. The Kordolian led her around several sharp corners until she was so disoriented she wouldn’t have a chance in hell of finding her way back to her room on her own.

“Do we have far to go?” she called out nervously, focusing on the outline of the Kordolian’s back. The lighting in the corridors was so dim that she almost lost him once or twice.

“Not far now,” he said quietly, but that was hardly reassuring.

“This superior of yours… who is he?”

“My boss. He’s in charge of this operation,” the Kordolian answered cryptically. “Don’t be afraid. He’s a fair man. He wants nothing more than to check on your recovery… and ask you a few questions.”

Questions? Her nervousness—and curiosity—grew. “Why did he call for only me? I mean, there were other girls on that Ephrenian transport too.”

“Out of all the captives we retrieved from the Ephrenian ship, you were the most badly injured. He has reviewed the incident and taken a personal interest in your case.”

Personal interest?

Now why did those words send a weird flurry of butterflies through her stomach?

Abruptly, the Kordolian stopped. “Here we are. Go inside.” He turned toward the wall, which startled her when it began to unravel.

They entered a small cocoon-like chamber.

And as Sienna faced the other side of the room, she stopped dead in her tracks, because what she saw completely blew her away.

Chapter Four

Through an expansive window made of glass so transparent it almost didn’t appear to be there at all, Sienna saw the stars.

She’d seen space from their small communal room, but this was different, because this window was massive and seamless. It made everything seem a hundred times closer and more real.

Unbidden, a soft gasp escaped her lips. She’d never seen the Universe like this before. Earth was awash in artificial light that bleached the night sky and obliterated the stars, making them so very hard to appreciate.

But from this dimly lit Kordolian ship, the stars appeared absolutely brilliant; tiny, glittering pinpricks of light scattered across the vast black canvas of space. Farther off in the distance, they coalesced to become elegant swirls and tangles of incandescent white.

A knot of emotion formed in Sienna’s chest. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, and so very unexpected after all the darkness and terror. She found it strangely therapeutic.

So entranced was she by the sight that she hardly noticed the dark chair by the window until it slowly spun around… as if the occupant were some old-fashioned arch-villain.

What the hell?

Suddenly, she was face-to-face with a Kordolian.

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