Decadence: Darkstar Mercenaries Book 4

by Carven, Anna

  The General put his hand up in a placating gesture. “Easy, my friend.”

  Sienna placed her hand on top of Ikriss’s. To her surprise, the tension melted out of his body.

  “So the answer is biological, then. There is something that sets you apart; that makes you desirable to our enemies on the other side.” Ikriss looked down, his attention focused entirely on her. He leaned into her a little, allowing her to feel his reassuring warmth. His eyes were golden embers, threatening to ignite at any moment and engulf her in a fucking inferno. “It doesn’t matter anyhow,” he rumbled. “You are mine now, and I do not care for whatever twisted designs our enemies might have on you. We will destroy them.” He pulled her closer. “Explain yourself, medic.”

  “Yes, yes,” Zharek said absently. “Well, you are as astute as always, Commander, and as usual, you are correct, if a little more… impassioned than normal. Sienna Adamo is certainly human, but her bloodline carries traces from our past.”

  “Don’t be so cryptic,” Ikriss growled. “Spell it out in terms that we can understand.”

  Zharek’s expression grew a little smug, as if he greatly relished revealing this little tidbit of information. The General said nothing, his expression completely alien and inscrutable. He reminded her of Ikriss in a way, only he was a little colder… and scarier.

  Strangely, the medic turned toward her and offered a slight bow. “I have analyzed your genetic makeup. I ran your samples through the Sylth and cross-matched every single gene you possess with every single individual, dead or alive, that exists in our database. The results are very interesting… and surprising.” He paused, frowning dramatically.

  “Get on with it, Zharek,” Ikriss growled softly. She could sense the seething tension within him. It felt like something inside him could snap at any moment.

  What the hell is going on here?

  Why were the others just standing there watching them with weird expressions, as if they were all in on some massive secret?

  “You carry a gene that is also found in the blood of our wayward prince,” Zharek said at last. “A marker of the Imperial Line.”

  His words spun past her, barely sinking in. “W-what are you talking about? That’s impossible.”

  “She is of Imperial lineage?” Ikriss’s interest was sharp; urgent. She could feel his anger crackling just beneath the surface. Sienna curled her fingers around his. Her fingertips found razor-sharp claws.

  She stifled a sharp intake of breath.

  He might be partly incapacitated right now, but he was still a predator of the highest order.

  And deep down, she was thrumming with anticipation.

  She couldn’t wait to have him whole again… and all to herself.

  “The discovery led me to do some more digging,” Zharek continued. “Interestingly, it seems all the mated females share a tiny fraction of Kordolian DNA.” He shook his head ruefully. “A gene that encodes a certain protein that produces a very specific pheromone. It was staring me in the face the entire time. I just didn’t know where to look… until my monitors caught the two of you on the brink of a lustful meltdown…”

  “Wait,” Arin said, her voice loaded with skepticism. “No fucking way. You’re telling me that we all have some distant Kordolian ancestor? That’s impossible.”

  “Is it?” The General’s voice was loaded with something Sienna couldn’t quite understand; a dark, calculating intent that terrified her more than a little. Suddenly, she felt very small and insignificant; a tiny pawn in this big, complicated game that was owned and dominated by Kordolians.

  What choice did she have but to let herself get swept away by it all?

  By him?

  “Our ancient masters, the Zor, did all kinds of genetic manipulations on our ancestors,” Zharek said solemnly. “It is not inconceivable that they had contact with Earth at some point in humanity’s not-so distant past. I’m surprised they didn’t enslave you all, to be honest.” He shrugged. “The answers are probably all in Ash’s big black box, but that will take some time to unpack, won’t it?” His lips curved into a cynical smile. “Our old imperial masters didn’t want us to know all the dark, dirty secrets of how we came to be.”

  “What the hell?” Sienna blurted, her head spinning. Ancient masters? Zor? She didn’t understand any of it. “Imperial ancestry? I look nothing like a Kordolian.”

  “It would have been a very distant ancestor,” Zharek added. “Too distant to really be of any significance, but let’s face it, the ones that want you so badly are pitifully obsessed with such things.”

  Under her touch, Ikriss stiffened. He hissed something in Kordolian; a low, dangerous threat that was ripe with the promise of death.

  The General responded in kind, and for a moment, the two males engaged in a rapid-fire conversation that escalated in savagery until they seemed to come to some sort of conclusion that satisfied them both.

  “Someone’s going to wish they had never even looked in your direction,” Rykal chuckled good-naturedly, as if he thought that would somehow reassure her.

  “And who are they, exactly?” she asked softly.

  “Fools that worship the old imperial line,” Ikriss whispered, his fingertips snaking up the inside curve of her wrist, driving her more than a little crazy. “Our enemies, trying to mobilize against us. But you have nothing to fear. Wipe every last trace of them from your mind, my love. Mark my words. We will destroy them.”

  “I just don’t understand,” she whispered, leaning into him, savoring his masculine scent, relishing the barely restrained savageness that rolled off him. “If have this so-called imperial gene or whatever, then why would they tell the Ephrenians to… to treat me like…” Her voice cracked. Why would they want to break me?

  Suddenly, she wanted to be alone with him so badly. She wanted to fall into his arms and let go of everything.

  “That is the old Kordolian way… to subjugate and control… even the things that are important to them. But we are different to them.” His voice became cold. “They do not know how to cherish or protect a single thing in this Universe apart from themselves.” He paused, and Sienna got the feeling there was a whole lot of darkness he was intentionally concealing from her. “I swear to you, we are nothing like them.”

  “I already know that, Ikriss.”

  “Good.” Still holding her tightly, he locked eyes with the General. “So… what now?”

  “Go.” The General gestured magnanimously toward the dark, shimmering pool of water. “Even if you cannot consummate right now, you must begin the process of bonding with your amina, Ikriss. Otherwise, the tension will break you. That is something Zharek is yet to understand. We will retreat now and give you as much privacy as is possible, given the circumstances. I alone will remain in the antechamber as a precaution, but I already know you would never do anything to harm her, and that includes putting yourself at risk.”

  “You’re practically one of the First, anyway,” Rykal added, a note of admiration in his voice. “That’s how good your control is. Remember that. You just lack the nanites.” The Kordolian grinned. “Well, now that I have official permission to stand down, I’ll leave you to enjoy your exquisite hell. Welcome to the enlightenment, brother.” Rykal gave Ikriss a mock-salute and made to leave.

  Arin came to Sienna’s side. “Hey. You okay with this? Because if there’s anything you don’t want to do right now, they will step back.”

  Heat crept up her neck, suffusing her cheeks, extending to the tips of her ears. But she made no effort to detach herself from Ikriss’s possessive grasp.

  On Earth, she would have found such a situation highly awkward, but here, amongst these over-the-top aliens, it all felt perfectly natural.

  Besides, there was no way she was going to let either of them suffer for another second. Not when they were both feeling like this.

  “I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine,” Sienna said with a smile, surprised at how serene and confident she sounded.
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  Arin smiled and gave her a knowing wink and a nod. “I’m sure you will be.”

  “You will,” Ikriss whispered as the onlookers peeled away, silently disappearing into the shadows in a way that seemed strangely coordinated. The General said nothing. He just spoke to Ikriss with his eyes, in that slightly infuriatingly cryptic way that Kordolians sometimes had about them.

  Ikriss switched to English. “You will be very fine, my amina,” he whispered in her ear.

  The General was as good as his word, being the last to leave as he stepped into the dark antechamber.

  Why did she get the feeling this was all planned somehow?

  Suddenly, they were alone.

  Together.

  Her and this real-life, warm, intense, lethal, oh-so-delicious Kordolian.

  Behind them, the dark pool of water beckoned; a mysterious, shimmering enigma that was as beautiful and forbidding as the Kordolians themselves.

  Ikriss released her from his grasp and took a step back, his gaze slowly traveling across her face and down her body. She suddenly became aware of how stretchy and tight her workout top and leggings were.

  Her nipples were clearly visible through the fabric. Her heart was beating out of her ribcage. Heat seeped between her thighs and spread through her body like wildfire.

  “I want to see you,” he rasped, his voice hoarse. “All of you.”

  Sienna stared back at him, the flames of her arousal fanned higher by his fierce golden gaze. This was crazy. With everything he’d told her about his condition, they shouldn’t even be doing this, and yet they couldn’t help themselves, because being apart was even more torturous.

  And somehow, it felt like they had the blessing of the entire fucking ship, not that they needed it…

  She didn’t care who approved of their union or not.

  She wanted him.

  She took in his hard, alien features; his sharp, sculptural beauty, his tousled platinum hair and otherworldly pointed ears and his strong, angular jaw, which was tense. He wore a simple black uniform that concealed the strange machines Zharek had implanted into his body to keep him alive.

  He looked severe and intimidating and deliciously hot. His hands hung loosely by his sides, although she could clearly see the sharp black claws extending from his fingertips—the only real sign of the tension inside him.

  His nostrils flared.

  He swallowed and parted his lips a fraction to reveal his sharp, gleaming fangs.

  Everything about him was sharp and deadly and honed, and it was focused all on her.

  He made her feel safe.

  Desired.

  And incredibly sexy.

  His hyper-intense attention was like an intoxicating drug.

  “Show me, Sienna,” he growled, his deep voice sending an electric ripple across her skin.

  She froze, caught between total surrender and hesitation. The old fear lurked at the edges of her mind, momentarily paralyzing her.

  But then she remembered seeing Ikriss naked and helpless, suspended in that awful tank.

  He had nothing left to hide.

  And she held a lot of the power here.

  “I need you,” he whispered, desperation seeping into his voice. “I can’t have you the way I want, but I need you more than anything. So for now, this torture will have to do.” She’d never heard anything like that from him before; never heard him sound so vulnerable. Ikriss stepped forward, his movements as fluid and graceful as always, even though his face was taut with tension.

  As she slipped her fingers under the edge of her top, pulling it upwards, Ikriss reached her and placed his hand on hers. His claws were still out. She felt something sharp graze against her skin, but he didn’t hurt her.

  He would never.

  “Allow me.” He closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath.

  His claws retracted.

  He grasped the edge of her shirt and pulled it upwards, exposing the soft skin of her belly. He kept on pulling, tugging it up over her shoulders and arms. Mesmerized, Sienna cooperated, lifting her arms over her head, shedding the outer layer to reveal her bare torso. Her stretchy bra was next. Ikriss deftly removed it, and Sienna was only too happy to assist, maneuvering her arms and slipped it over her head. His touch was gentle-but firm, soft growls emanating from his throat as he took in her bare breasts and taut nipples.

  Then he slipped his hands beneath the waistband of her tights, caressing bare skin and curves, slipping her tights and panties down in a single motion, running his hands over her ass, down her hips, snaking devious fingers along the insides of her thighs…

  Each piece of clothing she shed was like a piece of baggage; a bad memory from her past melting away as she gave in to Ikriss’s feverish intensity.

  She squirmed with delight and kicked off her leggings and her soft slippers, closing her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her.

  He leaned in and kissed her, threading his fingers through her hair, releasing it from its messy bun so it flowed down over her shoulders.

  He tasted of ice and bittersweetness and male.

  His lips were warm, his tongue insistent.

  She kissed him back. “Now it’s your turn,” she whispered breathlessly. Her hands flew to the opening of his jacket, which was held together by some weird zip-like fastening that she struggled to figure out.

  Ikriss helped her. With a quick tug of his hand, the jacket opened, revealing his bare torso, which was half smooth silver skin and half obsidian machine.

  Unafraid, she ran her hands across his chest and down his hard, rippling abs. Even with the modifications, he felt as good as he looked.

  This man was pure silver perfection, his body honed and sculpted by brutal training and fighting.

  She ran her hands across his broad, muscular back, her fingers traveling over hundreds of tiny scars that were etched in swirling patterns, reminding her of a school of darting fish in the ocean.

  “What are they?” she asked, filled with wonder.

  “My kvari,” he answered, his voice filled with pride. “They mark me as a hunter of my tribe. They are an important part of a male’s passage into manhood.”

  “Turn around,” she ordered, filled with curiosity.

  Ikriss smiled indulgently and slowly spun around, offering her a view of his broad, powerful back. She held back a gasp as she ran her fingers over hundreds of scars, both intentional and accidental.

  The kvari were beautiful; a series of concentric ripples that spilled over in certain places, swirling across his right shoulder blade and down his right flank, spilling across his side, extending to the front of his torso. In some places, however, they were brutally intersected by vicious, jagged scars that spoke of terrible violence.

  And then there were Zharek’s ghastly life-sustaining obsidian implants, abruptly cutting off the swirls, making him look like some sort of Kordolian-cyborg hybrid.

  “I can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve gone through to wear these,” she said, unable to take her eyes off the intricate markings. They were a map of his life, both beautiful and terrible.

  “Do my scars bother you, Sienna?”

  “Not at all.” Entranced, she caressed the smooth, shiny bumps, which were a shade lighter than his silver skin. “I hope you’ll tell me more about them one day. I’m sure you have a whole bunch of crazy stories to tell me.”

  “You would not believe half of it,” he said dryly as he turned around and captured her hands with his. “When I am whole again, I will tell you anything you wish to know, my love. There will be no secrets between us, ever.”

  “I like the sound of that.” Sienna slipped out of his grasp and went for his trousers, fumbling with the buckle-thing. “And I like the look of this.”

  She couldn’t take her eyes off the massive bulge of his cock beneath the dark fabric of his pants.

  She wanted to see him. All of him.

  He was the most delicious thing she’d ever seen.

&nb
sp; Despite her best efforts, however, the damn pants wouldn’t budge.

  God, why were Kordolian man-clothes so fucking complicated?

  Ikriss’s big hands closed around hers, helping her to unfasten the damn thing.

  His pants dropped to his ankles, revealing his erect cock.

  Sienna’s eyes widened.

  He was huge… and aroused as all hell. How long had he been holding back, putting on that severe, controlled façade while he was dealing with that underneath?

  She knew that when human guys had an erection for too long, it could be painful… even dangerous.

  So what about Kordolians, then? What did they do to cope with the…?

  “Why are we even doing this?” she whimpered. “Maybe it’s better that I stay away from you until—”

  “I can’t be away from you,” Ikriss rasped as he stepped out of his trousers. “I just can’t.” He kicked off his long boots. “The medic has no cursed idea how these things work.”

  Now he was perfectly naked. She stared at his chiseled form; at the strange smooth black contraption that covered half his chest, at the veinlike black tubes that snaked across the surface of his neck.

  She put her hand on his chest, waiting for a heartbeat…

  But it never came.

  He was so close… and yet so far, a beautiful mirage that she couldn’t quite have.

  “To look and want, but not take right away; to inhale, to anticipate, to savor… that is what you humans do before consuming food that you particularly enjoy, is it not?” Through all the strain and tension, a devious smile curved his lips.

  How does he even know that?

  “Are you saying I’m like food to you?” She returned his wicked smile. “I thought you Kordolians didn’t enjoy your food the same way we frivolous humans do.”

  “Normally, yes, but you have changed everything.” He took her hand into his and bowed slightly, before leading her toward the dark pool. It all felt strangely solemn, as if they were embarking on some important ceremony.

  A ceremony with a fog of impossible lust stretching between them, driving them both into a delicious kind of insanity.

  Sienna felt impossibly alive. Everything was more intense; her hearing, her sense of touch, her vision.