The young man made an excellent point. Many senators would find it advantageous to rid their sectors of political dissidents by sending them to a new province. Make them someone else’s problem. And whoever took leadership responsibilities of Pacifica certainly had his work cut out for him. Bretton didn’t envy him.
Chancellor Pell drew a breath. “The Senate will form a subcommittee to discuss this matter more fully. In the meantime, Doctor Gibbons and her assistant will continue restoring the city to working order. The Senate will require weekly reports on this matter.”
Sera winced, and Bretton knew she dreaded the idea of speaking before the Senate so often. He may not be able to claim her as his own, but he could help her with this. He cleared his throat. “I’m certain Doctor Gibbons will provide detailed written reports as often as the Senate would like.”
The chancellor’s lips twitched, but she inclined her head and turned to speak to a counselor on her left. The session broke, and everyone stood to leave.
Sera pushed back her hair and watched Oeric’s eyes follow the ambassador who’d just returned from Harena. What was her name? After a moment it came to her. Elia Iden. Her orange and red hair was distinctive. When she shifted, she’d probably look like a fancy goldfish from Earth. Very pretty.
Folding her arms, Sera cocked a hip against the railing that separated the audience from the senators. “So, you have a jones for Elia.”
“A jones?”
“A hankering. A longing. An addiction.”
Fierce intensity filled his gaze. “Addiction. Yes. That’s an excellent word to describe it.”
“I understand.”
He nodded. “With Ambassador Hahn.”
“Yeah.” She sighed, and they both watched the objects of their affection schmooze with the senators. Jealousy squeezed her heart when Bretton put a casual arm around Elia’s shoulder. “A damn shame, isn’t it?”
A rough chuckle was her answer before he offered her his arm and gave her a formal bow. He was surprisingly graceful for such a big man. “Shall we, Doctor Gibbons? Pacifica’s restoration awaits.”
She looped her arm through his. “We have plans to make. Let’s get on with it.”
Exiting the main chamber, they were accosted by several young mermen. The news of Pacifica had spread like wildfire and, as Oeric had predicted, many younger merpeople were interested in settling the lost city.
She wished Bretton were here to talk to them because, no matter how opinionated they might be, neither she nor Oeric were much in the way of orators. She’d used up every molecule of her diplomacy with her little speech to the Senate. And Bretton still had to step in and save her. Both she and Oeric heaved a sigh of relief when the men left.
“This way. It will take us directly to the Titan sector.” Oeric lead her into a narrow side corridor.
She fought a groan when Bretton and Elia stepped into the hallway as well. Bretton’s eyes dropped to Oeric and Sera’s linked arms. She lifted her chin and stared him down. He didn’t want her for anything other than a quick bout of sex, so he could stuff it about who she spent time with. Something flashed in his gaze before he looked away.
Elia smiled brightly, her red, orange, and gold hair catching the light as she moved. “Ambassador Hahn and I were just discussing our interest in relocating to Pacifica.”
Sera’s heart tripped hard against her ribs. Oh, God. Pacifica looked less and less like a refuge. It had never occurred to her that Bretton might want to live there as well. He was a politician, and political movers and shakers should be in Atlantis. But Oeric said Pacifica wasn’t that far to swim. She bit back a whimper. She couldn’t do it. She could not watch Bretton find a more suitable mate. Someone as unlike Sera as possible. Pacifica just wasn’t far enough to escape that, and she wasn’t strong enough to endure that kind of pain.
For Oeric’s sake, she hoped Bretton didn’t choose Elia, but for Sera, it didn’t matter who he picked. He wouldn’t pick her, and that was the only thing she needed to know.
She had to leave. Not just Atlantis but Aquatilis. It might be cowardly to run, but she knew herself well enough to know what she could handle and what she couldn’t. She needed to talk to Varad. He’d once offered her a place in the Vesperi palace, and they were the second-most technologically advanced people. Maybe she would be happy there. Or less tormented by the daily spectacle of Bretton with another woman.
“I’d be happy to discuss it with you, Ambassador.” Oeric stepped away from Sera to offer his arm to Elia.
“Call me Elia.” She smiled, placed her hand in the crook of his elbow, and the two moved off down the corridor.
Bretton and Sera watched the other couple until they disappeared at the other end of the hallway. He straightened his tunic and put on his coolest diplomatic demeanor. “Well, that went well.”
Her nostrils flared at his sudden formality when he’d just bent her over a table in an abandoned city. “Why do you insist on being such a cold fish?”
Anger sent sparks shooting through his turquoise gaze. “Cold, am I? You didn’t think so just hours ago. I believe you screamed and begged for more.”
Her jaw clenched. “That’s just sex. We’re in private, Bretton. That’s the only time I see the side of you that thinks I’m slightly better than pond scum. The rest of the time… Well, I’m good enough to fuck but not for anything else, isn’t that right?”
“Sera, you know my position—”
“Right. Of course.” Tears filled her eyes. “Why do I even bother? It’s hopeless.”
“Fire fin, please. Try to understand.”
“I understand. That doesn’t make it hurt any less.” She swallowed. “Will it even matter to you when I give up and try to find someone else? Someone who likes me.”
“I like you.”
“Not enough.”
“Will you turn to Oeric?”
Her eyes popped wide, and pure rage flashed through her. “Oeric?”
His chin dipped in a sharp nod. “You seem to be growing very close.”
“You insisted that I work with him.”
“I know that. You think I don’t know?”
She shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. “You don’t want me to love you, but you don’t want me to love anyone else either. You can’t have it both ways, Bretton. How did you put it? I’m not at your beck and call.”
“Damn you to Hades.”
“I’m already there. You don’t want me, Bretton. So leave me in peace.”
“Not want you?” Molten anger exploded in his gaze. “I can’t stop wanting you no matter what I do.”
He backed her up against the wall and didn’t stop until her breasts crushed against his chest. They both groaned. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“You’re a genius, Sera. What do you think I’m doing?” His fingers gathered her dress until it bunched around her waist. She shivered at the sensuous slide of saltwater silk on her bare skin.
“We’re in public.” Shifters didn’t bother with underwear, so she wore nothing under the gown. She’d stripped out of her wet clothing and grabbed the first proper thing she could find. The Mermaid’s Purse had delivered the dress the day before, so it had still hung from a high shelf, and she’d thrown it on before she’d run for the Senate chambers.
His fingertips danced over her thighs, making her sex flood with moisture. He chuckled. “Since when has that been a problem for you?”
This was madness and completely unlike him. A bitter little laugh spilled from her mouth. “Anyone could walk out here and see this. That kind of scandal would end your precious career.”
“Unlikely. The Senate session is over. No one is coming out. No one except us.” His hand slipped between her legs to stroke her pussy. She knew he’d find her wet and more than ready for whatever his pleasure was. “Ah, not as resistant as you sound, are you?”
“When have I ever resisted? You’re the one who—”
His lips slammed down over hers, his
tongue shoving past her teeth and into her mouth. She moaned, her nipples going rock hard.
They moved together in an angry rush of passion and pain, lips, tongues, and teeth sucking and nipping at each other’s flesh. She broke away and threw her head back, gasping for breath and holding on for dear life to the crumbling edges of her control.
She should resist, should push him away and run as fast as her shaky legs would carry her, but she couldn’t. Time enough to go without him when she was gone. One last time, she needed it, and she was going to take it. When this moment of insanity passed and she told him she was leaving, he’d never touch her again. The mere thought ripped at her heart, but she shoved it away to focus on this moment with him. She’d enjoy while they lasted the sensations only he could wrench from her.
One more wild ride in his arms.
Slipping her hand between them, she jerked open the front of his pants, and reached in to stroke his hard cock. He grunted and spanned her hips with his big hands, lifting her against the wall until their sexes aligned. She wrapped her thighs around his flanks and pulled him as close as she could. Her eyes pinched closed, and she focused on the heat rushing through her veins while her heart pounded in her chest.
“Look at me, Sera. I want those pretty gray eyes on me when I fuck you.”
She choked, pure fire burning through her when she opened her eyes to obey him. “Please, Bretton.”
The head of his cock nudged her slick pussy lips. She whimpered, tightening her legs around his waist. His breath feathered over her ear, making her shiver in response. “Tell me how you want me, fire fin.”
“You want me to beg?” Anger shot through her. He didn’t want her, but he wanted her to beg for him. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“I want to hear it.” He swallowed, a shudder running through him. “Tell me.”
She arched her hips, rolling the bulbous tip of his dick in her wetness. “Doesn’t my body tell you everything you want to hear, Bretton? Can’t you feel it?”
His breath hissed out. “Fire fin.”
“Fuck me now, Bretton.” She held his gaze with hers and twisted her hips against him. The hot press of his flesh to hers made her want to scream. “Hard and fast. Now.”
He slammed deep into her pussy, and she almost came. She was so wet, so ready. His palms curved over her buttocks, lifting her into his pounding thrusts. His movements bordered on rough. Oh, God, she loved it when he went wild.
Burying his face against her neck, he slammed inside her again and again while she shuddered from the impact. He licked her flesh, sucking kisses along her throat and collarbone. The scent of sex and him filled her nose, and it made her burn hotter, pushed her higher. She buried her fingers in his hair and clenched them in the long ebony strands. She pulled hard enough to feel him wince against her throat. He bit her neck in response. Hard. Just the way she liked it.
“Bretton!” she cried. Her sex fisted tight around his thrusting cock. Tears welled in her eyes to slide down her cheeks.
He panted, and the turquoise began to spread from his irises. “I love my name on your lips, fire fin.”
“Bretton.” It was so good with him, so amazing. Why couldn’t he see it? Why couldn’t he love her the way she loved him, needed him, craved him? Lust and despair twisted inside her until she sobbed for breath.
“Sera?”
She shook her head wildly, clenching her walls around his dick hard enough to make him groan. She moved her hips with his, faster and faster, deeper and deeper until they both panted. Sweat rolled down her temples, and her muscles shook.
“Make me come, Bretton. I want you. I want you so much.” I love you. But she couldn’t make herself say it out loud again. Her body could have him, but her heart never would.
His hand dropped between them until his fingers rolled over her clit. She froze, her back bowing before her hips snapped in hard thrusts on his cock. Tingles raced over her skin, and molten heat followed in its wake. She came in a rush so hot it left her weak and shaking in his arms.
He ground his pelvis against hers, and she moaned, the after effects of orgasm making her pussy clench again. His eyes bled to pure turquoise before they slid shut. A muscle twitched in his cheek, and he froze, his hot cum filling her. He groaned. “Sweet Neptune. Fire fin.”
She arched her head back against the wall, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. Swallowing, she waited for her breathing to slow, for her heart to stop pounding, for her muscles to stop shaking. For the world to stop spinning. God, this was it. It was over. If she stayed, it would hurt her to a point she couldn’t recover from. For his sake, for her own sake, she had to leave. They both knew she wasn’t what he wanted, who he needed. And the only way to stop it was to go.
Forever.
Something was wrong. He knew it. Sera had been too quiet the last two days. Avoiding him. And he hadn’t been able to speak to her, because he’d spent much of his days closeted with his father and the Senate, negotiating final details of trade treaties with the other planets and deciding how best to settle Pacifica. He loved the bartering, the challenge of politics, but it now left him unfulfilled. He missed Sera. He wanted her, but from what he could gather, she’d been visiting extensively with the Alysians and Vesperi. He didn’t want to interrupt her last few days with Jain, so he reined in his impatience. Barely.
Still, it worried him. It wasn’t like her to be so willing to stay away from him. The last time he’d had her, against the wall outside the Senate chamber, burned into his mind, haunted his dreams at night, made his cock twitch in his pants.
He approached her quarters, tapped his knuckles against her laboratory door, and waited for her to call out, “Come in.”
Her lab was in more than its usual chaos. Every shelf and cubbyhole seemed to have been emptied onto her worktable. “Going to Pacifica?”
“No.” She stuffed several mechanical devices into a bag.
“Oh.” His eyebrows arched when she said nothing more. “Then, where—”
“I spoke to Varad.” Her gray eyes were shadowed, her vibrant red hair pulled back in a tight plait. With no pause, she met his gaze and announced, “I’m leaving.”
The news hit him like a blow to the chest, and for a moment he couldn’t breathe. No. No, no, no, no. He opened his mouth and shut it again. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and pain lanced through his chest. He tried desperately to reason with himself and not to give in to the need to bury himself inside her until she knew she could never part from him. But that was wrong, irrational, imperfect. Selfish. She was not happy here. It was best that she go. She was a temptation he didn’t need. She confused things, confused his purpose. What he should want and what he actually wanted twisted whenever she was nearby. But losing her would be bad for Aquatilis. Any personal feelings he had in the matter shouldn’t factor in. He knew he lied to himself, but what else could he do? She was leaving, leaving Aquatilis, leaving him. He swallowed and tried to come up with a suitable response.
A dry chuckle rippled from him. He’d had a great deal of trouble coming up with “suitable responses” since she’d crash-landed in his life. “The Senate will be upset to see you go.”
“The Senate.” All lingering traces of hope vanished from her eyes, a light that had been just for him winking out. She gave a slight nod. “I see. I think I finally see.”
“No. You don’t.” But he couldn’t allow her to see either. If she knew how desperately he craved her, he would never be rid of her. This was the first sign she’d ever shown of not pressing the relationship between them. If it caused him pain to see her love turn cold, he had no one to blame except himself. “What about Pacifica?”
“Oeric can handle it. He’s more than capable of restoring and maintaining the domes. Inventing might be a problem, but he can do what you need.” Her shoulder lifted in a shrug.
He balled his fists. “He’s a child.”
“I was fifteen when I received my doctorates, Bretton.” She arched a brow.
“You can understand how my perspective is different than yours.”
He swallowed. What more could he say? “I hope you enjoy Vesperi. Or Harena. Or Alysius. Or wherever you’re going.”
“I’m going to try to reestablish as much of the technology as possible on all the planets.” She pulled in a deep breath, and his gaze again dropped to the lush curve of her breasts. “Metals to build with are going to be scarce soon, so mining operations are vital. That means a solution to Alysius’s predator problem needs to be reached.”
“I am certain Lord Kesuk will be grateful for the assistance.”
She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “No, he won’t. He’ll be glad to get rid of the threat to his people, but I doubt I’ll fit well on any planet. If I can’t make it on Aquatilis…”
Her shoulder lifted in a small shrug, and she turned away to continue packing her tools and gadgets. The rooms would be as empty of clutter as they had been before she came. He regretted complaining about the mess now. The whole city would feel deserted without her. He’d taken it so for granted that she would always be there that he couldn’t even imagine a time when she wasn’t.
Stumbling back, he fled her quarters. He walked down the winding corridors of the city, blind to everything but the turmoil of his thoughts. Leaving. She was leaving. It ricocheted through his mind, taunting him with the finality, with the lack of all hope. No more Sera. Not ever. Gone.
Neptune help him.
Word of Sera’s imminent departure spread through the city, and the chancellor herself insisted on speaking to Sera to convince her to stay. The meeting was a failure—probably the first in the older woman’s entire political career. A week crawled by, and Bretton forced himself to stay away, to complete his duties as head ambassador, but his heart was no longer in it.
His father noticed and came to his quarters the day of Sera’s departure. Bretton had assigned Elia to see the trading party off. He couldn’t do it. If Sera wanted to go, he wouldn’t make her stay…so he removed himself from the temptation to beg her not to leave. Misery dragged at his very bones, and a weight had settled on his chest that would not let him breathe through the agony of it.
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