“Why’d you ask about my parents?”
His reply is quiet. “I wanted to know.”
“Well… is there anything else you want to know?”
“Yes. What was your goal number? The approximate amount of money you thought would secure you the leverage thatyouwant for the rest of your life?”
I chew the inside of my lip. “Unbinding? For illustrative purposes only?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know…” Except I do. I calculated the number precisely, accounting for inflation and contingencies. But will he hold me to it? Will he make me leave when I meet that goal? On impulse, I add a zero to the end of it, and the numbers tumble out of my mouth.
Silently, Sylvus produces an interface tablet. He taps away at it, and it emits a light chirp. He hands it to me.
I see a transfer statement between two accounts. The number is double what I said, which was already ten times my plan.
“That account is yours and yours alone,” Sylvus explains. “It’s completely secure and encrypted. I’ll provide you all the instructions for accessing it, and for using the new identity that will allow you to move through any space, ICSS-governed or not, unbothered and unrecognized.”
I stare at him, open-mouthed. “You… what… you havethis much money?!”
The corner of his mouth twitches upward. “Quite a bit more than that, actually. Though I’ll admit, this is the most money I’ve ever spent at once.”
My shock turns sour, and my heart rapidly tries to retreat into its shell. “So… you’re kicking me out. Because that’s… probably for the best.”
“No. I’m not kicking you out.”
Relief floods my chest, but confusion lingers. “Okay, so… why?”
“So you can choose,” he says softly.
“I was already choosing to be here,” I snap back.
“I know. I only mean… so you have at least one other option that’s… comfortable. Secure.”
My thumb fidgets with the edge of the tablet. “So this is because you feel guilty? For the… hormones?”
Sylvus’s laugh is dark and wicked, and for some reason, that comforts me more than sugared words ever could.
“No, no, no,” he chuckles. “I’m doing this out of pride.” He turns toward me. “I want towin. And I’m not a cheater, Andromeda. I don’t like it when the deck is stacked in my favor. That’s no fun. To me, there is no greater victory than to offer you every worldly comfort you could dream of… and then have you prove me right anyway.”
God, I want to wipe that smug smirk off his face. I want to do it by grabbing his cocks and stuffing both down my throat and making him moan and shake with pleasure, bursting down my throat until he can’t help but fuck me senseless.
His smile deepens. “You could, of course, ignore the money. Continue your little schemes, if you prefer. It’s fun to flaunt the ICSS, to toy with them, just because you can. Not because you have to. It’s your choice, Andromeda.”
I like how my name sounds in his voice. Like a little song. The way his tongue curls around the middle.
I dig my thumb into my palm to distract from the warm feeling in my core. “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Does this scare you shitless? The way that this—” I gesture between us. “—feels?”
“Yes,” he answers easily, honestly. “More than anything ever has.”
I sigh. “If we… keep going. It’s only a matter of time before I beg you to bite me again.”
“And it’s only a matter of time before I can’t resist.”
