"It is for her."
Lorian puts his hand on my arm. “No. Let her talk to Jin Kol.”
“Fine.” I shrug off his hand and cross the room in long strides and put my hand on Eve’s naked back. Her skin feels like silk. "Trainer Aefre," I say. "You mustn’t corner our human liaison. Make no mistake, she’s still a human and will not take the upper hand, even when dressed like a Reima Two woman of worth.”
Aefre acquiesces, and I allow an animated Jin Kol to resume his conversation with Eve, but I don’t take my hand from her back. After she's flirted with Jin Kol enough, I pull her away, making excuses for her.
"Sovereign—"
We stop in a quiet hallway near the entrance to the ballroom. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I demand.
She straightens, chin lifted. Even in her defiance, she's magnificent. "My job, Sovereign."
"Your job is to be our liaison, not to parade yourself like?—"
"Like what, Sovereign?"
“Yes, like what, Brother?” Lorian interrupts us, appearing out of nowhere.
“Like our…” I struggle to find the word looking at her like this. So magnificent, reflecting everything she is and what we’ve put into her. And then I just say the first word that comes to my mind, “Lover.”
My words surprise all three of us.
And after a few seconds, Lorian laughs. "She did excellent work tonight. Jin Kol will be eating out of her hand by tomorrow. Let her dress like this. Let her be the woman she could be if the universe were different, and the fates weren’t so cruel. Let her live the fantasy, Rafe. Goddesses, let us all live that fantasy.”
I meet Eve’s brown eyes. She’s clearly in shock from what I said, but we all know it’s the truth, and the worst part about it is that her dressing like this is just reminding me of what can never be.
"Did you enjoy it?" I ask her, caging her against the wall with my arms. "Did you want Jin Kol to imagine what you'd look like out of that dress?"
“Sovereign, I only wanted to do my job. He wouldn’t listen to me in my uniform. I did what had to be done.”
"You wanted him to see these?" My hand skims the curve of her breast. "Wanted him to think about touching you like this?"
She shudders. "No, Sovereign."
"No?" I press closer. "Then why show him what belongs to us?"
"To accomplish what you couldn't,Sovereign. Tonight, Jin Kol agreed to review human participation again. Because I made him see me as?—"
I kiss her to stop the logic, to stop the words that make too much sense when all I want to do is to tear this dress off her and remind her to whom she belongs. She makes an adorable sound against my mouth, part protest and part surrender.
"You want to be seen?" I gather the fabric of her dress in my hands and lift it up, exposing her underwear. I rip it down and release the Venus Lock, letting it drop into my hand. Then I throw it over to Lorian, who catches it easily. Next, I remove her necklace and bracelet. I can tell by her expression she has no idea what’s going on, and that makes this even sweeter. “You want to play games, Eve? I’ve removed all your tracking devices, and I’m going to give you a three-minute head start. If we catch you before the end of Fourth Chime, then you are ours. If you manage to evade us, then I will allow you this,” I motion up and down with my finger signalling her clothing, “for as long as it suits all of us.”
She’s breathless as she says,“Sovereign, if I win, I don’t want to wear the Venus Lock anymore. And I want to dress like this when necessary. But I will need extra credits to do it. Deal?”
I smile. “If I win, you won’t be wearing the Venus Lock either. At least not while I am between your legs. The rest, I agree to. Now run, little Eve. You have three minutes before we are coming to get you.”
I watch as Eve takes off down the hallway, and then I look at Lorian. He throws the Venus Lock back to me. “This is yours.”
I catch it and put it in my pocket with all of her jewelry.“Let’s split up. You take the upper levels.”
Lorian finishes his drink and then gives it to a passing waiter. “My pleasure. I’ll also make sure our adjoining suite is prepared. It’s been a while since we’ve shared a woman.”
“It’s already done.”
Lorian laughs at my admission.
First, I check the Staff Dining Hall. It’s empty of course, but I think I can smell her. I walk through all the tiers. “Eve, are you in here?” But there’s nothing, just stillness. If she was here, she’s gone now.
