Jenna

JENNA

I check back as Azul leads the way out of the party and see one of the serving bots make their way over to the mark, Rossz. He looks around as it reaches him, but he doesn’t seem to spot us. Out in the atrium to the large pool complex, I find myself caged against the wall by an enormous Glycon.

Azul’s eyes glitter.

“You were magnificent, little sunray,” he rasps. “The perfect mate.”

I open my mouth to speak, but his lips hit mine in a demanding kiss which is determined to steal my breath.

Because Azul is determined to capture me and keep me, like the hunter he is. He might allegedly be a prince, but he’s also very good at what he does, and that isn’t because he was brought up in a rarified atmosphere.

He has lived, out here, in the galaxy, not cooped up in a giant rust bucket stuffed to the gills with humans and their waste.

He has lived, I can taste it on him. Living is all I ever wanted and here I am. With Azul.

“Let’s get out of here,” he rumbles in my ear once he’s released me. “Have some real fun before we have to work again.”

I nod enthusiastically. It’s all I can do, as he’s taken my words, my ability to speak, my ability to say no to this massive, delightful male.

“What I’ve got in mind, I think you’ll love,” he says as we get into the ground transport and he works his way furiously through the holo menu he has in a handheld device which he has procured out of thin air it seems.

I look out of the window and see we’ve left the main area of the resort. The low lying accommodation and party domes are disappearing behind us in a swirling dust cloud, and we’re heading out into a pale pink desert, streaked with gray and orange.

I can’t tear my eyes away from the landscape. All I’ve ever seen of planets are vids, so to have this vista unfolding in front of me in real time, with all the scents and sounds…I’m spellbound.

“Little sunray?” Azul is looking at me with his brow furrowed.

“I’ve never been…somewhere like this.” I swallow hard past the lump in my throat. “I’ve lived my entire life on Britannia . This”—I wave my hand at the view—“is something I thought I’d never see.”

A smile creeps over Azul’s face. Not one of his wicked ones, this time his smile is different. This time it’s filled with warmth.

“I’m honored I was the male who got to bring you here,” he says with an incline of his head. “And to experience it with you, my princess.” He takes my hand. “Wait until you see what I have in mind for some fun.”

His eyes glitter. The former bad Azul is back, and my body responds accordingly. He snuffs at the air and grins.

“And something tells me we’ll be having a lot of fun,” he adds in his deeper than sin voice. “So much fun .”