His accent, too, seemed different to Sheba, less that of a humble farmer, regaining the resonance of the throne rooms he had long abandoned.
Issa stood, head bowed, eyes still to the ground in honor.
Reality fractured for Sheba as a cold realization hit hard; if a goddess militant like Issa trembled at his feet, then Idan was no mere mercenary with extraordinary power; he was a Sacran of devastating renown.
Ki’Remi followed his wife down the stairs, inclining his head before Idan.
‘My apologies, Commander. I was not aware of who indulged our presence.’
Idan reached out a hand and gripped Ki’Remi’s own in a firm, warrior’s shake.
‘De nada, friend, my Sacran past does not define me.Santefor the extraction.’
‘If I may, how did you two meet?’ Issa asked, her eyes blinking in awed curiosity as she flicked her gaze from Sheba to Idan.
Sheba took an inhale. ‘Remember I told you on a holo call that my skiff crashed on my entry to Tansinia? Well, Idan saved me. He got me to the medical centre, and later, he also helped guard us from the local mining magnate’s attacks. When the medical ship evacuated, he took me in. We encountered the same industrialist lord and his attack dogs on the mountain today, and Idan tore them apart. Then Sulfiqar showed up, and you know the rest.’
Issa nodded. ‘Quite the ordeal, you must be -.’
‘Exhausted, bone weary, pissed at meddling deities and narcissistic barons,naamall of that,’ Sheba murmured.
Ki’Remi glanced at their mud and gore-stained clothes, then gestured toward the aft corridor.
‘Issa and I can’t wait to hear the details of your story, but you probably want to freshen up first. Guest quarters are through that corridor; follow the illuminated floor panels. Rest, recover, then please join us for a meal in the galley.’
‘I can’t thank you enough. You don’t know how much this means to us,’ Sheba told him, with a wan smile.
Ki’Remi and Issa nodded as Sheba moved in a daze, Idan’s arm a heavy band around her waist, steering her through the ship as they tracked the lit path.
It led them to a suite that was neat, compact, yet luxurious.
Sheba sighed in relief as the door hissed shut, sealing them inside.
The shock of Idan’s former greatness persisted, with questions racing through Sheba’s mind.
Well aware this was not the time to pursue such a loaded discussion, she hid her wariness from Idan as they stripped off their clothes.
Mud and blood-soaked leather and fabric hit the floor in a heap.
‘Shower?’ Idan growled.
Sheba nodded as he led her into the stall, circling her from behind as he turned on the taps.
A cascade of hot water jetted over them, scalding her trembling limbs.
Steam swallowed their frames as Sheba pressed her forehead against the tiles, as the revelation of her lover’s titles still spun in her mind.
Idan, as always sensing her mood, found soap and a cleaning towel and began to lather the last few hours from her skin, his touch gentle.
While shampooing her hair, he massaged her scalp to release her tension.
He twisted her around, his eyes dark with a scorching intensity.
He took her face in his hands and kissed her, a long, sweet claim of his genuine desire to make her forget their tribulations.
His touch glided over her curves, mapping her body with a slow heat that ignited her yearning.
His knee came between hers, and he hoisted her up, sliding his cock into her andfokkin’ her with such scorching ardor she shattered into ecstasy.
