by Carven, Anna
Her mother’s biggest fear of all was that one of them would end up on the Federation’s Minimum Allowance, which would be much to her great embarrassment and shame.
But Sienna was never scared of going out. Even at that young age—at twelve—she knew how to keep away from the people that would do her harm.
She wasn’t a fucking idiot.
She just wasn’t brilliant like Isabella, not that she resented her sister for it. Izzy had been too absorbed in her academics to pay much attention to her, but she never boasted about her achievements or held them over Sienna.
And still, even to this day, she was quite sweet, even when her focus was stolen by things like multi-trillion interplanetary business deals that Sienna would never really understand.
They didn’t have much in common, but Sienna still loved her sweet, high-achieving, focused, preoccupied, perfect, naive older sister.
Unlike Isabella, Sienna had never really found anything that had interested her until the day that their small home kitchen-bot had broken down, leaving a stack of unused ingredients in the kitchen.
That’s when she’d learned how to cook.
And the pieces of her life had suddenly started to fall into place.
Somehow, she’d just told Ikriss all of that. Things she’d never told anyone before.
How did he do that to her?
“You are impressive, my amina,” he’d said softly as she looked at him expectantly, wondering what he’d make of her very ordinary human life.
She was a pretty good cook—well, good enough to get a couple of Michelin stars if she wanted, although she wasn’t really interested in that—and she’d developed some hard-won business nous, and overall she was pretty proud of what she’d accomplished, but in contrast to her, Ikriss was a damn unicorn; one of only a handful of beings in the Universe that held that much power.
How could her meager accomplishments in life ever compare to his?
“Brave beyond compare,” he’d continued as they sliced through the stars and darkness. “Because you do not compromise. You are not afraid to be true to yourself.”
He’d reached across and wrapped his hand around hers, giving her a gentle, reassuring squeeze, as if to say: I’m here. I’m yours. I’m not going anywhere.
And at that moment, all her uncertainties and insecurities and fears had melted away, and she simply was.
Complete.
With him.
And now they were descending through Earth’s atmosphere, and she could see the very edge of the blue horizon as it bled into the infinite darkness of space.
They both fell silent as Ikriss flew from day into night; from the cold void above and into the clouds. Suddenly, Sienna could see a glittering network of lights stretching out below. She recognized the unmistakable shape of the Eastern Seaboard of the Independent States of America.
“Which skyport are you landing at?” she asked absently, wondering how the passengers at Westchester Skyfield would react when they saw a small fleet of sleek, black, and very alien looking ships landing in their midst.
“Skyport?” Ikriss shook his head. “We don’t use skyports.”
“Huh? So where are you going to land? In a field or something?”
Ikriss shook his head. “We’re going straight to our location. This craft is small enough that I can land it in most places.”
Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “But you’ll draw so much attention to—”
Ikriss let out a soft chuckle, much to her annoyance.
Sienna’s eyes narrowed. “Are you laughing at me?”
“You are very considerate of your own people, but you don’t need to worry. Our ships use high-level cloaking tech that your human surveillance systems will not be able to detect for at least another thousand years.”
She gave him a rather salty side-eye. “Are you saying that you think we’re a thousand years behind Kordolians?”
“In certain things, yes.” The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. He gave her an indulgent look. “In other things, not so much.”
“Spend a few months with me on Earth,” she challenged him. “You’ll find that we’re actually a lot more sophisticated what you see on the surface.”
“Oh, I already know that.” He maneuvered the controls of the ship; a subtle, almost imperceptible action that looked as natural to him as breathing.
The ship banked sharply, ripping through the clouds.
Suddenly, they were flying through clear skies, the glittering strip of lights below growing bigger and bigger.
“Then you can quit being so pompous,” she teased. “Just because you’re Commander so-and-so doesn’t mean you know everything there is to know about the Universe.”
He laughed; a rich, deep, delicious sound that made her want to surrender to him over and over again. “That is certainly true.” His concentration snapped toward the glowing blue holo-monitors as he turned the ship again, and suddenly they were flying over New York proper, and she could make out the sharp outlines of the buildings and the lurid holo-adverts and the drone-traffic and the occasional hover-car, and suddenly they were descending right down into all of that chaos…
It was snowing. The tiny snowflakes dissipated like powder as the cruiser shot toward Earth.
They were heading straight for a stream of traffic… for a floating jam of drones and snow and hover-cars.
“Ikriss!” she gasped. “You’re going to…”
“Going to what?” he asked smoothly—too smoothly—as his hands twitched and his head tilted slightly to the left and his eyes narrowed, then widened.
He stared straight ahead and leaned back in his chair, his gaze becoming distant, his body relaxing as he made tiny adjustments to the ship’s controls, and for a moment, it almost seemed as if he were silently communicating with the ship; almost as if the craft were a living thing itself.
They darted through the traffic, slipping through impossibly narrow gaps; weaving, crisscrossing, flying so fast that the world outside became a snow-dusted black and neon blur.
Ikriss still wore that almost-smile.
He was enjoying this.
“Show-off,” she muttered as they finally started to decelerate.
Invisibly.
Soundlessly.
Through the snow and the darkness, she recognized her own neighborhood, but something was different…
The skies above and the streets below were empty.
She had never, ever seen it like this before.
Ikriss gently brought the cruiser down—onto the roof of a building. For a craft that was so fast and powerful, it was eerily silent.
In the snow and the darkness, it took Sienna a moment to realize that it was actually the very same building that housed the Whisk and Pin.
Already?
“Here we are,” Ikriss said as the hum of the ship’s engine died. “Your fortress.”
“F-fortress?” She looked up at Ikriss as he rose up out of his seat.
Her gaze flicked to his temples, where the twin points of his severed horns looked raw and intensely black; she swore they were protruding a little more than when he’d cut them off, but she couldn’t be sure.
She couldn’t help but worry about him. What if he was in pain?
When she’d asked about them, he’d just shrugged and cryptically told her: “they might be growing back. They might not. We shall see.”
But before Sienna could think on it too much, the restraints crisscrossing her body retracted, and suddenly she was free to stand.
She rose to her feet. After sitting for so long, her legs felt like jelly, and she was lightheaded.
She swayed…
But then Ikriss was there, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace, his body hard and immovable, his strange Kordolian armor pressing against her; slightly flexible and yet impenetrable.
He kissed her; a light, tender kiss that reminded her a little of a perfect vanilla soufflé—with fangs. �
��As promised,” he whispered in her ear, his warm breath feathering against her skin “Here we are.”
“Ikriss.” She looked up as he caressed the side of her face. “Thank you for bringing me home.”
“Completely unnecessary.” He kissed her again. “You are my mate. And I am certain that you would do the same for me. You already have.”
In a swift, fluid motion, he scooped her up into his arms and swept her through the cockpit, past dark walls and narrow spaces; into the cold night air, where snow was lazily falling from the sky.
Suddenly, he tilted his head strangely, as if he were listening to some high-pitched frequency that was undetectable to human ears. A different kind of urgency infused his movements as he strode across the rooftop, toward the very edge…
Not stopping.
Gaining momentum.
“Ikriss,” Sienna gasped as he accelerated toward the edge and stepped over…
Into thin fucking air.
It was too late for any warning.
They were already plummeting through falling snow, down five stories to the snow-coated sidewalk below.
A scream caught in her throat, unable to erupt because her heart was pounding so damn fast.
And just when she thought she would pass out from the sheer terror, Ikriss landed with a soft thud on the thick snow, and he was smiling.
“A little warning next time,” she gasped as he gently set her onto her feet. They had landed on the empty sidewalk, just a few meters away from the entrance of her restaurant.
The street was eerily quiet. There was no traffic; no pedestrians. A pair of stone-faced, heavily armed Kordolian guards stood at the entrance. As soon as Ikriss appeared, they snapped to attention, giving him a resounding fist-on-chest salute.
Ikriss gave them a sharp nod before diverting all his attention back to Sienna.
His intense focus sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. No human could ever look at her like that.
With gentle but efficient hands, he straightened the collar of her jacket and adjusted the thin cream-colored scarf that was draped around her neck. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The clothes she was wearing were made from some sort of soft and stretchy Kordolian fabric, which, despite being fairly thin, was impressively warm.
Ikriss was still smiling.
“What’s put you in a good mood all of a sudden?” she asked, trying not to feel horrified that her once cozy and welcoming restaurant had been transformed into a bleak guarded fortress.
The tables and chairs that usually sat on the sidewalk were gone. The lights were off.
What the hell is going on?
Where’s my goddamn hygge?
“The weather is good here,” he grinned. “Come. Let’s go inside. I trust my men have taken good care of your empire while we have been away.” He put an affectionate hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the entrance. Although he was being impossibly gentle, she still couldn’t shake the impression that he was in a hurry.
One of the guards said something to him in Kordolian.
Ikriss’s entire demeanor changed; he became as sharp as a blade as he snapped orders back to them.
Sienna couldn’t help but notice how different he was with her, compared to them. It was almost as if he was two entirely different people.
They passed through the main dining area, which was empty.
From what she could make out in the darkness, her plants were still alive, thank the stars.
All the furniture was intact, all the pictures were still on the walls, and a pleasant smell wafted from the kitchen; the smell of freshly ground coffee mingling with… cinnamon donuts?
There was no trace whatsoever of the terrible violence that had been wrought by the silent assassin… and Ikriss himself.
It was all so serene.
Ikriss led her past the front counter, down the corridor, and into the kitchen, where the lights were still on.
As they reached the doorway, Sienna stopped. Ikriss hovered just behind her, a calm and reassuring presence despite the bristling sense of urgency that surrounded him. It was as if he was content to put all his majorly important, deciding-the-fate-of-Earth tasks aside to ensure she was comfortably settled.
She looked around at her kitchen.
It was perfect.
Everything was as it had been… before the storm.
The benches were gleaming. All her machines and pots and pans and equipment were in their proper place. The was no sign of the dark blood and destruction that had been her last memory of the Whisk and Pin.
Her micro-herbs were there in their little containers, looking verdant and well-cared for, almost seeming to glow green under the little UV grow-lights.
And in the corner, sitting at a little side-table with espresso macchiatos in their hands, were Emmett and some hardass looking Kordolian military guy whose face she vaguely remembered from before.
“But I don’t know what the point is, really,” Emmett argued, taking a delicate sip of his coffee. “We have everything we need here on Earth. As long as we manage our resources properly, there’s no need for space mining.”
“You humans are prolific breeders,” the Kordolian countered. “Your population is running out of resources, and your females have become a highly sought-after commodity in the Nine Galaxies. The threats will start to come hard and fast, believe me. If your people had mastered space travel earlier, you would have been able to defend yourselves better.”
“How does space travel have anything to do with defending ourselves?”
“Well, you would have had access to the intergalactic weapons market for one. The guns your forces are using now are little better than ice-picks against us.”
“Are you saying you would have preferred a little more resistance from us?” Emmett asked, rolling his eyes a fraction.
The Kordolian grinned, showing his fangs. “Well, a little resistance is good for keeping the claws sharp, but I for one am glad that you humans rolled over for us, because I am growing quite fond of your species and their little quirks.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m sure you’d agree, Commander.”
Emmett turned his head sharply and saw Sienna and Ikriss. His eyes widened. His mouth formed a surprised O.
“More than you might think,” Ikriss agreed dryly. He turned to Sienna. “I must leave now. There is an urgent matter I need to deal with, as you probably will already have guessed. I will be back as soon as possible—with your missing friend.”
“Eva…” she sighed. According to Ikriss, Eva had been taken by Syndicate. The Kordolians had spent the last few days tracking down her location, and they had finally found her—and a bunch of other women—in a secure Syndicate tower in Rio de Janeiro.
Why the fuck had they gone after Eva?
Because she was connected to Sienna?
Were all her friends going to be in constant danger from now on?
No. She had to trust that Ikriss knew what he was doing.
With all the craziness that was going on, Sienna could only hold onto the tendril of hope inside her and let it overpower her fears.
What was there to worry about now, anyway?
She had freaking Kordolians on her side.
Ikriss planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “You are in good hands. There is nothing for you to worry about. Zarken is one of my most trusted warriors, and your extra protection is arriving as I speak.”
“Extra protection?”
“A close friend of mine. He is called Nythian. He is even more lethal than I.”
“Now you’re just being modest, aren’t you?”
“No, it’s true. I wouldn’t call on anyone less to guard my Queen. You are perfectly safe here.”
She gave him a lopsided smile. “You have this way of being terrifyingly reassuring, you know that? I can’t help but worry when you tell me you’re going on an urgent mission that may or may not be terribly dangerous, but I trust you know what you’re do
ing.”
“I’ve been doing this for a very long time. Besides, I’m scratch-proof now, remember?”
The memory of her nails digging into the skin of his back flashed through her mind.
Heat rose in her cheeks. A retort formed on her tongue, but Ikriss was already going, giving her a curt wave as he disappeared through her kitchen doorway, in a blur of obsidian and silver and white.
And then he was gone, leaving her alone with Emmett and the Kordolian warrior called Zarken and her pristine kitchen and the scent of home.
She stepped inside and took a deep breath.
She met her old friend’s blue eyes.
Emmett stared back with a deadpan expression, hiding what she suspected was a torrent of emotions. “Your guy survived, I take it. Nice hairstyle.”
Sienna’s hand rose to her hair, which had been plaited into two simple braids—with tender precision by Ikriss, no less. He was surprisingly good at braiding; it was an Aikun thing, he’d explained. “What, you mean me, or him?”
“Both of you. Very stylish.” Emmett stood to greet her as Sienna stepped into the kitchen. He rose and gave her a hug, kissing her lightly on the cheek—the way he always greeted her. “I didn’t know aliens could grow their hair so quickly.”
“It’s… complicated,” Sienna said softly. “Where’s Cleo?”
“Sleeping on the couch next door. She’s fine, just exhausted. The past few days have been completely crazy. She—” Before Emmett could say another word, the big warrior called Zarken loomed up beside him, his face pure thunder.
“You would dare lay your hands on my Commander’s mate like that? You would dare express such intimacy with her, as if you were—”
Fearing an imminent slaughter, Sienna put her body between them and threw up her hands. “Hey, Zarken. Stop.” She stared into the cold ruby-colored eyes of a fully armed, armor-clad Kordolian warrior who towered above her.
She wasn’t scared, though.
He was Ikriss’s man.
He would never hurt her.
“You would consent to such inappropriate behavior?” Zarken stared right through her, the way a hunting wolf might look at its prey. “Mated females do not accept the touch of another male. I will not allow you to insult my Commander by acting so dishonorably.”