‘Though, it would take a very brave Xaviann to insult his Prince’s bride,’he had said, his possessive gaze burning into mine as he took another slow sip of his liquor.‘And I would have to pre-approve all their comments ahead of time. Goddess Nex help anyone who actually insults you.’
So protective,I think to myself, my grin broadening in the dark like a crazy person.
But my smile falters. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s all for the contract, and I need to keep reminding myself that. The goal is to get him used to ‘being’ with a woman so that he trusts himself to enter other contracts after ours.
It takes what feels like only thirty more minutes of ruminating before I finally give up on sleep. The weird alien liquor is affecting me, not to mention the fact that my sleep schedule is still fucked up.
With a sigh, I get out of bed but quickly find myself feeling exposed. Vel had given us very simple ‘undergarments’ which consisted purely of some silk shorts and nothing else, apologizing profusely that we will be equipped with a proper wardrobe once we arrive at Xaavia. Knowing that I can’t just go wandering around the ship with my taa-taas out, but not wanting to put that day dress on again, I rummage around in Az’s closet, coming up victorious with a very soft, white shirt with sleeves that hang and billow on my smaller frame. The hem of the shirt stops just below my knees, so I feel more than sufficiently covered to go for a little walk.
My first stop - unsurprisingly - is the lagoon room. I know as soon as I feel the tinge of disappointment when I find it empty, that I’m not really wandering around aimlessly right now. I’m looking forhim.
So it really shouldn’t surprise me at all when I find myself standing outside his door.
This is stupid.
I stare at the electronic panel to open the double doors that will reveal Kiahn’s rooms.
He’s probably asleep. I should go.
It’s once I’ve turned, ready to walk away with embarrassment nipping at my heels that I hear it.
It sounds like my name - like Kiahn saying my name from inside his room. Does he know I’m here? Maybe there are cameras? It wouldn’t surprise me. Great - now I have to go in there and explain myself.
“Niska,” he says again from the other side of the doors. But the tone of his voice isn’t one of curiosity as to why I’m standing outside his door like a crazy stalker - he sounds-… it was almost like a moan.
Memories of last night in the lagoon flood my mind, and suddenly I am almost desperate to be that close to him again - to watch him come apart for me, even if it’s only us getting ourselves off again.
I touch the control panel, making the doors whoosh open, and for some reason half of me wants to run and hide at the brazenness of my own actions. But the other half?… well, she wants to play. So, with cheeks warm with potential embarrassment, I step inside. Kiahn’s rooms are similar to Az’s, except possibly larger. There’s windows out to the endless void of space passing us by, a bathroom, a seating area and that huge, four-poster bed that somehow looks like it sprouted up from the floor and grew there organically.
But Kiahn’s not on that massive bed like I’d thought he’d be. He’s not standing by the windows, and he doesn’t come to see who’d entered his rooms if he was in the bathroom or in his closet.
There’s a groan that breaks the silence as I stand there like an idiot wondering what I do now. But that groan came from… the weird door in the corner of the room? Az has one of those too. We’d tried to open it to see what it leads to but found it was locked.
I blink at the lit up panel beside the mystery door - there’s also a light above it, too. Az’s one hasn’t been lit up once since we’ve been in there. “Kiahn?” I ask tentatively, taking a step closer. My quiet call is met with another groan and a shuffling noise from behind that door.
Before I know it, I’m stepping closer still, my fist raising to knock on the surface.
But I don’t get to do that. The door slides open automatically and I squint at the influx of blinding light. It takes me a couple of seconds to realize it’s not actually light per se, more that the whole room that’s just been revealed to me is a stark, sterile white with nothing to break it up. That is, nothing, except Kiahn…
Who is on his knees…
His face hidden between the thighs of some woman…
She’s completely naked as she perches on a white surface that blends into everything else, her hands braced on his black horns…
And his pants shoved down his thighs as he jerks himself off while he…eats.
“Oh my god!” I squeak, my hands flying up to cover my mouth. I turn away from the scene, but not fast enough to miss the way he lifts his head to look at me with shock and guilt in his eyes.
Oh…My God. Why does this hurt so much?
I’m so fucking stupid.
And I don’t even have the right to be angry at him.
“I’m sorry!” I rush out, taking one breath before I prepare to bolt. “I’m so, so sorry!”
Why did I ever think there was anything between us?
