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I wander the halls,ignoring the curious looks from Mak’s guards as I pass. They likely heard us shouting at each other. Those of his closest warriors that know me well are accustomed to arguments between us, but our disagreements are not usually so personal.
Like a wounded pet, I scurry into the less populated corners of the palace, letting my feet carry me anywhere.
All around me, the images of the past inhabitants of this ship leer at me from the walls. This palace was built for a Zaledian king to pleasure cruise across the universe, and here in the private royal rooms, there are paintings of the red-skinned species partaking in all kinds of leisure activities. They feast in diaphanous gowns, make love on piles of cushions, and wrestle one another wearing black markings on their faces. But the reason we inhabit this ancient cruiser is because they were chased away from their own empire, removed from the throne by their own blood. I don’t know all the details of that history, but I always think about it as I pass the seemingly happy scenes. The male that saw this palace constructed either starved to death here or was murdered by those that served him. Every empire can fall. It’s only a matter of time.
I think one of Mak’s ancestors sold the bones of the ancient king on the black market…
I hear laughter down the hall, and the sound is so pretty that I stop my feet. Something about the feminine giggle tickles my eardrum. If I were to continue down the hall on my right, I would find myself in Mak’s baths. That would mean that Niko’s mate and her friend are what I’m hearing. I’ve met Raina, and I know it isn’t her drawing my attention. I ignore my better judgement and sneak a bit closer.
“—and then Reede practically busted the door down because he was supposed to be cleaning up, and we were wasting his time carrying on…” Raina is recounting a story, and I hear another giggle from her companion. The sound goes straight to my cock.
Mesmerized, I creep toward the door through which the steam is escaping.
“I can’t believe you,” the other female voice replies, softer and higher than Raina’s. “Did he really lick the blood off? That’s actually gross.”
“Look, if you were there, you’d realize how hot it was,” Raina says before laughing. Her friend joins in, and my heart starts pounding.
My brain’s not working quite right, and I have to think about drawing breath to keep air pumping through my lungs. Is there any excuse that could explain why I’m lurking outside the door while they enjoy a hot bath in peace?
I peek through the crack and catch a glimpse. Wet hair the color of dried red blood clinging to her back. Skin so pale she might fade away.
My mate.
She’s right on the other side of this door, probably naked…
My brow starts to sweat. I clutch my chest at the realization that this is the mating call— hormones washing over my system like a multiplying wave of adrenaline.
I press my eyes shut, sliding away from the door with my back against the wall. The temptation to barge in is strong— my new mating hormones at work. The friend of Niko’s mate, then? She is my mate? It’s not uncommon to see the spirit matching friends to friends, but I’m not sure what the Kali’Ka is up to with this choice. The female was described to me by Niko as a sweet thing, prone to displays of human emotion. It’s true that even her laughter sounds sweet, warming my insides like a hot cup of honeyed liquor. And me? So entrenched in blood that even hardened rogues like Niko and Mak would judge me mentally unwell.
My cock is hardening fast. The grip ofkoriammais taking hold of me, possessing me to wild thoughts like throwing open the door and claiming her on the wet tiles without a care for who’s still in the room with us.
Not acceptable, you feral animal, I tell myself.
I turn the other way and head into the shower rooms. I veer into a stall for a private moment to hunch over and groan. There’s a bench inside, so I crawl onto it and take deep breaths to get the flooding hormones under control. The erection won’t subside, even when I scrunch my eyes shut and think of the ugliest sights I’ve ever witnessed. And rut it all, I’ve seen such awful things I’d rather not think of them while I’m erect in the first place.
How could I feel this way without having seen her face? She’s blurry in my mind, but my body doesn’t care. What was her name?
Kaye… Niko said it. Kaye.
I try it on my lips. “Kaye,” I sigh, dipping my hand inside my pants and rubbing for some form of relief.
This is nonsense, I’m thinking, even as I grasp my length and stroke myself. How can I jerk off to the thought of her? The blurry outline of her body, the pale color of her skin, the long red hair… How is that enough for sexual fantasy? I need immediate relief, and there’s no way I’m leaving this stall until I’ve got the mating fever under control.
My hand works on its own to soothe the burning desire. I let my head fall back against the stall, shoving my pants down to my knees. I might not be able to bring her image to mind, but her sweet voice and laughter have already wrapped themselves around me. In my fever-soaked head, I hear her calling my name out as I please her. Maybe she’d beg sweetly for release… Maybe she’d half-laugh, half-moan as I teased her relentlessly…
“Carry me to ashes,” I curse, bemoaning my pitiful state of desperation. I stroke rough and hard, rushing the act to the point of pain. I can’t even revel in the pleasure, because I feel like a slave to it. When it’s all too much, I paint the wall of the shower stall with a surprisingly bountiful release.
“Rut it all.” I catch my breath, watching the cum drip down. “This is low, even for you.”
After the moment of reprieve, I strip and kick off my boots. There’s a place for clothes inside an alcove in the shower with a sealing door to keep them dry. I shove everything inside and turn on the shower, cranking it to ice cold in the hopes it will banish any further bouts of uncontrollable lust. I make sure to rinse the side wall until all evidence of my masturbation is washed down the drain. Then, as I stand under the cold water, I contemplate.
I have no choice but to accept Mak’s orders. Any further escalation on my part could be considered treasonous, and the last thing I want to do is be divided from my king at the start of our greatest battle. My ego might be wounded, and I might be angry, but our goals are still the same. We need to take Kar’Kal, and there’s no room for infighting. I’ll swallow my pride and apologize; that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
As for my mate, the human whose mere silhouette and voice brought me to a jarring climax… I cannot have her for many reasons. I’m embarking on joining a war that could last either a cycle or my remaining lifetime. I’m such a wreck that my closest friends fear the darkness in my soul. I’ve spent the last passings dodging ambitious bounty hunters looking for a payday only the Ashbringer’s head could provide.
This means she must be mine from afar. The only comfort in that realization is the knowledge that her companion lies in regen here onThe Rightful Heir. Therefore, she’ll be staying safe under our lockdown, unable to be touched by anyone. She’ll be safe, and that’s all that matters. I can tell Lalo, and she’ll look after her. Even if Lalo were angry with me too, she’d still make sure my mate was happy and well taken care of.
With my mind clearer, I turn off the water and wrap myself in a towel. I’ll dry off, march myself back to Mak with an apology, and accept my fate. Collect intel. Pretend I never saw her. Do less murder.
