Jaiya stood under the waterfall’s shower, feeling the warm water caress her body as it washed away the remnants of the battle. A flurry of emotions barraged her, fighting to claw their way out and ruin the night.
Battles had always left her keyed up, even once she returned, debriefed and dismissed.
Usually, she would clean up, grab a drink, and read the stress away—anything to take her mind off of the chaos and violence of the fight.
But she had neither alcohol nor a novel to read, only an indoor greenhouse for a room and conflicting thoughts about how to face the future.
Jaiya couldn’t stop thinking about where Idris was—and a tiny part of her wondered why he wasn’t here with her.
She had heard all about the Daextru and their battle lust. The concept wasn’t new to her. Even among her own pilots, the adrenaline and the stressful situations they were placed in triggered a natural bodily reaction, especially during intense battles.
Battle boners--that's what she secretly called them. Something she got used to over all the years being a pilot. They couldn't help it, so she never saw a reason to make a big deal about it.
But if a Daextru didn’t handle their battle lust, it could hurt them. From what Raizxl had explained, spending a night of passion with a willing partner was the easiest way to relieve the pressure—rarely did a pilot go without.
Perhaps I should go to the practice arena to fight out my aggression on Idris’s projection.
Her cabin door pinged, jarring her from her thoughts.
Sighing, she grabbed a jade-green robe, tying it at the waist as she opened the door. She knew that she was safe on their private floor. Idris had assigned the residential guest floor to her wing, leaving them housed together to help with the adjustment.
A certain tall sapphire-blue male stood on the other side of the threshold.
His aqua eyes were no longer slitted; their black centers dilated as he studied her. He still wore his black living suit from the practice arena, which left nothing to her imagination.
“May I help you, Prince Idris?” she asked tentatively.
“I . . . May I come in?” His eyes trailed down her face, along her neck, to her breasts. His body shivered with clenched fists, making Jaiya step back in worry. “Don’t. Please. I just want to apologize.”
She crossed her arms, covering her breasts to block his view of his golden scales.
A part of her was happy to see him, knowing he wasn’t with another woman, but seeing him struggling with his battle lust hurt her. On the other hand, she was still upset at how he had treated her and her wing in front of the crew.
“I am listening.” She stepped away from the door, welcoming him in.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said as the cabin door closed. “I wanted to make sure I talked to you before the night was over.”
“Go on.” She sat down on the couch, crossing her legs stiffly. “I know you have a long night ahead of you, so I would rather get this done as soon as possible so you can find—”
“Jaiya, stop,” he hissed, as if in pain. “What makes you believe I’m seeking out another female after I speak to you? I was serious when I said I wanted to be with you.”
“You sure have a weird way of showing it,” she snapped. “One moment you were confessing to me on the floor of the practice arena, the next you were dressing down my wing because they were teasing me.” Her leg bounced in frustration as she stared him down. “Want to know what they were saying? They were congratulating me after a few of them saw us holding hands. A few were jokingly betting on our chances of mating tonight. It was all casual banter among friends. They were happy for me, until you ruined the whole moment.”
“You were comfortable with their insubordination?” he asked in disbelief.
“Idris. Understand this,” she said pointedly. “If I wasn’t fine with it, I would have corrected them. My wing’s leaders are two female pilots who have worked harder than anyone to create a comfortable space in this male-dominated profession. Trust me when I tell you they weren’t disrespecting me. Your intervention not only embarrassed my crew and me, but it created a new divide. One that I was afraid would arise from the moment you asked me to be yours.” She sighed heavily, needing him to understand the importance of this point. “I didn’t rise to my rank because I know how to open my legs or use my mouth. I worked my way there through hard work and dedication. Now I’ve left all that behind to be here, and the prince in control of the starbase wants me to be his starmate. Can you imagine how that looks?”
He sunk to his knees in front of her. “Like favoritism.”
“If we are going to do this, you can’t treat me any differently than any of your other pilots and crew members. Beyond these chambers, you are Prince Idris, and I am Wing Captain Lian. That’s why I always make sure I use your titles around anyone else. Titles enforce professionalism. Alone and behind closed doors, we can be Idris and Jaiya, but Ineedthis. I don’t want to ever doubt whether I deserve my rank.”
“But as my starmate, you will always outrank my crew. You can grow your hair out as long as mine.” He placed a hand on her bouncing leg, stilling it. “I am sorry for my mistake. I promise to be more cautious in the future. We will have a lot to learn about each other and our people. The next time I see your wing together as a unit, I will apologize to them all. I just hope we can move forward from here.”
“How are you sure that you want me? A human?” she asked, reaching for a lock of his hair, feeling its silky smoothness. “What if you grow old with me, only to realize you wanted a female of your own species?”
“I don’t care if you don’t have a tail and a pair of horns. Your lack of scales and short hair doesn’t concern me,” Idris said, his voice serious as his eyes drilled into hers. “It was your inner strength and beauty that called to me, even when you were disguised as your twin brother. You weren’t afraid to speak your mind in order to do what was right, and my power as a prince didn’t faze you. Your skills on and off the battlefield made you even more attractive, and made me want to have you by my side.”
“What are you saying?”
