A Temple Of Illumination

Xion's eyes flew open.

Time?

9 AM.

He turned his head to the woman beside him, her vulnerability accentuated by peaceful slumber. He sent a cloud of metanoids over her sleeping form, ensuring she remained undisturbed.

He slid out of the bed and tracked to the safe, where he was sure he'd seen her slip the Iris into.

He waved a hand over the lock, and more noids settled on it.

In seconds, the keypad beeped, and the secure hold's door pushed ajar, revealing the secret within.

He reached inside and pulled out the gem.

It was colossal for a ruby.

He turned it over, fascinated with its edges and planes.

It'd been polished to perfection.

He marvelled at its purity—even the dim light of the darkened hallway set off the facets of this exquisite gemstone, which danced and bounced with each movement.

More interesting, however, was the tiny vibrations that pulsed through it.

This is no standard stone,he told Mirage, sending a flow of metanoids over it. Please take the stream off my noids and assess it for me.

Will do. The frequency it's giving out is encrypted. It will take a few hours to break if not the best part of tomorrow. So whatever it is you're doing, take your time.

Noted. It turns out its anonymous owner is the King of Rhesia, and he has authorised me to retrieve it on their behalf and deliver it to himself. But only after I have the name of Katya's patron and sponsor.

He returned the jewel to the hold and shut it.

His metanoids completed the locking procedure as Xion stood in the small corridor, staring at the hangers and dresses in the open closet.

He swung back to the bedroom.

Where one beautiful woman was sprawled.

He let his eyes drink her sleeping beauty.

Thrumming with desire, he pursed his lips and glided under the covers, willing himself to behave.

Katya woke up to Enia's noon sun streaming through the windows.

She stretched her arms and jolted, memories flooding her mind.

Turning her head with care, she took in the allure of the man beside her.

Draped like a lithe, sexy beast in all his glory.

Pivoting away from his raw, half-naked magnificence, she slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

Splashing cold water on her face, she couldn't stop thinking about the events of last night.

Their prolonged conversation had been a revelation, and it was like she had known Xion for years, not just one evening.

He'd set off feelings in her heart, which she'd long thought were dead. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she was beset with second thoughts on her plan for him.

She didn't think she could live with herself if she didn't change tack.

After getting dressed, Katya wandered to the living area and accessed Sys-Net on her comm tab.

There was nothing in the news about the Serpent's Iris.

The clone they'd substituted it with was holding up for now.

She checked her messages and replied to one from Korin.

I've changed my mind, was all she texted back. We need to find another way. Please give me some time.

Shutting down her devices, she arranged brunch, given it was midday.

She ordered omelettes from the hotel menu and took delivery of two plates not less than ten minutes later, along with crisp toast, herbed tomatoes and sizzling bacon.

The delicious aroma of the food must have filtered to the bedroom because shortly, Xion strolled out.

He was the vision of sin in just pants and an open shirt.

Again, she took a deep breath to control her reaction to him.

‘Turns out anyone can sleep with another person,' he drawled. ‘But it takes a lot more for two people attracted to each other to fall asleep next to each other without sex being on the table. That's where the magic lies.'

‘Magic, Sable? You believe in all that?'

He shot her a long, leading look and curled those luscious lips. ‘When it comes to you, I have faith in anything.'

She smiled.

He was striking not only because of his physical beauty but also because of his aura, gravitas, and commanding presence.

Likewise, how his eyes cut to hers and creased on the edges with pleasure at the sight of the breakfast.

She found herself wishing this escapade or whateverthefokk this was between them never ended.

‘Me too,' she heard his deep voice drawl.

She glanced up with surprise.

‘Did I just say that out loud?'

‘You did.'

She clapped a hand to her mouth. ‘I'm so -'

Xion waggled a finger in front of her face. ‘Don't apologise, I'm enjoying this pressure-free time with you too. It doesn't have to end, you know. We can keep going. I'm my boss, and I suppose you are, too. I can take one more day to see Enia. After all, why come all this way and not take in the sights?'

She nodded, then glanced at the window view, wondering if Korin would comply with her request to keep the fokk away.

When she sliced her eyes back to Xion, she found his gaze narrowed on her, and for a moment, those mocha-jade babies iced over.

She jolted, speculating whether he knew anything of the Serpent's Iris and her involvement in its disappearance.

When his eyes heated up once more as they rested on her face, she forgot her momentary troubles and relaxed into his mesmerising presence.

They sat down to eat together. ‘How about we explore Enia?' Xion suggested, forking buttery eggs into his mouth. ‘Show me around the so-called city of lights.'

She conceded with a smile. ‘Shouldn't be a hardship. I'll be happy to introduce you to the illuminated capital of Rhesia. This place is almost my second home.'

Soon, they cleared their plates, dressed and exited The Grande, walking out into Enia's most stunning botanical gardens.

They strolled its avenues and lingered at its flower beds, overflowing with bio-luminescent blooms.

Next, they wandered into the metropolis, visiting all the famous landmarks and delving into Rhesian culture, art and nature.

Katya led Xion through the bustling streets, their arms brushing against each other as they weaved through the crowds. At one point, Xion took her hand when they crossed a teeming street.

After that, they held hands every chance they got, and he revelled in their occasional touches, which created a delicious sense of closeness and intimacy.

Xion conceded he was having the time of his life as he and Katya meandered arm in arm.

They explored the city's iconic locations, from Enia's Light Tower to The Temple of Illumination and the Rhesian Museum of Art.

The streets were lined with cobblestones, smooth from years of foot traffic. The sun shone bright, and the occasional breeze rustled their clothes and brushed their hair, carrying a hint of salt from the nearby ocean.

It was almost too perfect.

Katya even took Xion to her favourite café for a late lunch, where they indulged in baked quiche, a fresh salad, and frothy, aromatic kahawa while they people-watched.

The city was alive with conversations, music playing, and laughter echoing through the streets.

Katya's voice was a soft thread in the symphony of noise, explaining the history and culture. It was the most relaxed the Rider had been in years.

It helped he wasn't in his element, where vigilance over its security was his mantle. Here, he didn't have to watch over anyone except the alluring woman by his side.

They stopped at a food cart, and Katya insisted on trying traditional Rhesian fare. The essences bursting in Xion's mouth were sweet, spicy, and savoury all at once.

As the day waned, Katya took Xion to a popular rooftop restaurant.

They dined on flavourful dishes and sipped on unique and delicious cocktails.

They discovered a new world, and their connection grew deeper with every novel sight and experience.

As the sun began to set, the sky transformed into shades of pink, orange, and purple, painting a breathtaking panorama from their table.

Katya and Xion had a great view as the city came alive in a wash of twinkling lights, illuminating the skyline like a constellation of stars. The sound of laughter and music filled the air, and the soft hum of conversation created an ambience Xion wanted to bottle.

At one point, Katya turned to him, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. ‘This is magical.'

Xion's eyes smouldered. ‘You're magical,' he rasped. ‘You've shown me a side of myself that I didn't know existed. I've lived hard and closed off for so long, hanging out with criminals and underground tunnel kinais, that I'd forgotten what it was to enjoy life. Sante for this experience.'

Later, they wound up back at her suite, seated on the balcony, staring at the glittering skyscrapers and bright neon signs illuminating the city at night.

They sunk into a loveseat lounge on the terrace.

He tucked her under his arm as Katya pointed out the sparkling lights that adorned every building and street, the colourful displays of the bio-luminescent gardens, and the grand architecture of the famous landmarks.

There was a moment of stillness, Enia lulling them into a trance.

With the moon casting its silver glow on them, Xion turned to Katya. ‘I like you,' he murmured.

Katya's eyes widened.

She opened her mouth as if to respond, but she could only manage a soft smile, her eyes never leaving his.

He leaned in. ‘May I return the favour from last night?'

She nodded.

His lips settled over hers.

At first, with an aching tenderness.

Then, with a sudden urgency that left her breathless. The kiss was like a fierce, relentless storm sweeping her away in a whirlwind of intensity and desire.

Katya melted into him, her hands finding their way to his locks, pulling him closer as if trying to merge their souls.

The world around them faded into oblivion. Leaving only the two of them locked in a dance of passion, exploring each other with a hunger that bordered on desperation.

Xion's touch sent electric shocks through her body, igniting a fire that burned hotter with every passing second.

When they broke apart, gasping for air, she was reborn. Xion's eyes bore into hers, dark with desire and something deeper, something she couldn't quite name, but it infused her with deep longing.

‘I've never felt this way,' he whispered, his voice raw with emotion. ‘With you, it's different.'

Katya could only nod in agreement.

He bent again with a sudden intensity, and a surge of electricity arced through her body. Katya melted into the kiss, her hands reaching Xion's strong shoulders as he pulled her closer.

The world around them faded away, leaving only the sensation of his lips on hers, igniting a fire within her that she had never experienced before.

Their embrace deepened, becoming a passionate dance of desire and longing. Xion's hands moved to cup her face, his touch both gentle and possessive, as if he never wanted to let her go.

Katya's heart raced as she surrendered to their intoxicating connection, losing herself in the moment.

Their breaths mingled in the cool night air. Katya's cheeks were flushed, her eyes shining with emotions she couldn't quite name.

Xion gazed at her with a hunger that matched her own, his dark eyes reflecting the moonlight above.

‘I want to make love to you, Katya. Tonight, I'm ready. Are you?'

He rose and lifted her with him.

His eyes asked a question, and she took a hitched breath. ‘Naam.'

With a mighty swoop of his muscular arms, he picked her up and set her in the bedroom, placing her on the velvet covers.

He jerked his chin at her.

‘Take it all off.'

She raised a brow and did as she was bid.

‘You too,' she whispered.

As her bejewelled fingers undid the small row of buttons on her chest, he was drawn to the simple gold bracelet on her wrist.

Intrigued by the fall of her dark hair over her cheek and the gems woven around her head like a crown.

Her clothes fell to the floor in a silken puddle, revealing her stunning, lithe body.

She wore nothing underneath except for a thin and long rope of diamonds. It started as a necklace that extended under one entire puffy nipple and breast, falling to her waist, where it separated into a band that encircled her midriff.

It was hot as fokk and designed to drive even the most even-minded man mad.

She, too, sported ink in metallic, slow-moving patterns and swirls reminiscent of her Ccyth heritage.

But the gems embedded in her hairline, face and arms, which now glowed with a warm, enticing fire, tripped his mind. She was heated, ablaze for him.

He sucked in air as she nodded at him. ‘Now, your turn.'

With a smirk, he lifted his hands to tie back his locks into a high bun.

Once they were secure, he swept off his jacket, bent, and shucked his close-fitting trousers.

When he straightened, her eyes flickered with wild abandon over his swirling meta tattoos in vivid gold, black and emerald.

Her eyes fell to his abs, his lower chest and further to his thick, bobbing and long cock and took a step toward him.

Her face was grave, her eyes contemplative.

She wasn't trying any of the flirting and teasing most females served when they wanted to climb him.

He'd been with many women, but Katya was a level up and beyond.

For a second, his reality shifted, and at that moment, it hit him that she had the power to devastate him to the core.

He tamped down the panic and focused.

On the mole on her cheek, the fullness of her lips, the tips of her nipples that were now brushing his chest.

He hissed, then bent and captured her mouth.

She arched into him, their mouths melding with such furious passion that he gasped into her mouth.

They sucked and tugged at each other while his hand moved to cup her plump left breast.

It was perfect in his hand, and he dragged his mouth from hers to stare down at his fingers plucking on her hardened nub.

His cock throbbed, his seed seeping from it.

She reached for it and tugged, cupping his balls and squeezing his length with the perfect amount of pressure, just how he liked it. He groaned, head falling back.

He'd never been so hard before.

‘I need you now,' he rasped, knowing he wouldn't last long.

With a growl, he pulled her into his arms and settled between her lithe legs.

Their eyes met, and he hissed when she widened her legs and revealed herself, seeping, wet, ready for him.

He swung under her, nabbing her thigh. He crossed it over his chest and positioned himself lower than her hips, coming in from behind.

This granted him full access to her front, and he trailed a hand from her neck to her waist, stroking her silky soft skin with wonder.

She twisted to kiss him, and he offered his lips to her. Even as two of his fingers parted her folds and flicked her clit before sliding into her hot, wet tightness.

She gave a small cry as he worked the tight nub with his thumb while his forefinger slid between her wet pussy lips and plundering her.

Writhing against him, she flung her head back. He waited until she was dripping before he palmed his cock and guided himself inside her.

He pushed into the tightest, hottest, slickest glove of her sex, his groans unchecked by this time. He gasped into her mouth as she used her hand to guide him in.

Then, they were riding the wave together.

On and on, she undulated her waist, working it with such power and force he almost passed out from the ecstasy of it.

He pistoned his hips upward into her core while he tweaked her nipples and then back down to her clit, giving him full access to all her pleasure points.

He wanted to make her come so hard, to delight her until she lost her damn fokkin' mind.

Xion had never worked so diligently for a woman's gratification.

He pulled his hand from her sex and stroked her mouth. She turned into his hand and sucked his fingers, driving him even more wild.

She was a dream, and his heart flew even as they stared into each other's eyes, rocking, lost in each other.

Their bodies moved together in a dance of primal need and relentless hunger, each touch igniting a fire that threatened to consume them both.

Katya leaned and grabbed the back of his head, arching her spine and pulling him close for another devastating kiss.

They worked against each other, kissing, sucking, fokkin', with such abandon that he'd never experienced before.

Climbing higher and higher, he plunged in and out of her until, with a roar, he came so hard his entire being pulsed from head to toe.

He jerked into her and then growled in surprise when she reached for his pulsing member. She pulled him out, so his essence splashed all over her tits and tummy.

‘Wild woman, beyond wild,' he rasped, ‘but I run this show.'

He twisted and thrust back into her, one arm bracing so he could bend over and suck her puffy nipple into his heated mouth.

She clutched onto his locks, using them for leverage as her bliss ratcheted higher.

Her walls tightened, squeezed and undulated around his cock and with a scream, she bucked in wild rapture.

Still, hard as a rock, he thrust harder and, unbelievably, inexplicably, orgasmed again, joining her as they rode high into the stars.

Minutes later, he was still slicking in and out of her, sparks of pleasure still pulsing through him.

Chest heaving, heart racing.

Her face was turned from him, and he used a finger to capture her chin and tug it toward him.

What he tagged when their eyes met shook him to the core.

A vulnerability, an openness that bore to her inner soul.

Without thinking, he leaned forward and grazed her chin.

‘Lips,' he growled.

She offered them, and he lowered his head into a tender, sweet, and lingering melding, which she returned.

His chest convulsed with feeling as his gut wrenched.

What the everlovinfokk?

Ignoring the panic that threatened to overwhelm him, he kept his lips gentle, working over hers as she burrowed deeper into his heart and soul.

With a small sigh, she pulled away.

He cupped her breast and played with her nipple, and she served him with a soft smile.

Wrecked, his body ravaged, his soul ransacked, he had no urge to speak. Instead, he came down, relishing the freedom of lying in silence with her in his arms.

A strange calm and freakin' peace washed over him.

They stared into each other's eyes for a long time before he withdrew out and away from her.

He tracked to the sumptuous bathroom and wetted a towel, which he used to clean off his sweat and essence from her skin.

‘You don't say much, do you?' he murmured as he swept the cloth over her breast, moving lower to between her thighs.

She gave him a slight shrug even as she tugged on his locks, now free and trailing over his chest. ‘I don't do chatter. I'm quiet most times.'

‘All up in your head,' he rasped.

‘It's a rich tapestry in here,' she replied, tapping her forehead where the glow of her gems was slowly fading.

He narrowed his eyes at her and raised a brow.

Not at her, but at the sudden, inexplicable urge to understand her, to know everything about her.

It wasn't his style, so he tamped down the desire with a clenched jaw.

What he said next was also out of character, and he blurted the words without thinking. ‘May I stay one more night, khaliya?' he rasped. ‘I'm not too proud to beg.'

Her limpid eyes fixed on his, and his jolted, braced, waiting for rejection.

‘Khaliya?'

‘Beautiful in Kwavi,' he told her, his chest locked in tense anticipation.

She broke into a languorous smile. ‘I suppose that would make you my kodan, my handsome prince. In Iccythrian.'

He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head, hiding the wave of pleasure that hit her words. Xion was well aware that the Ccyth were precious in their traditions, one of which was that naming someone outside their culture was frowned upon.

‘Stop fretting, kodan,' she teased, reaching up to press her lips to the side of his mouth. ‘Of course you can stay.'

He tamped down the inexplicable relief and rose from the bed. ‘Hungry?' he murmured.

‘Starved.'

‘Let's call for room service.'