Page 24 of When the Universe Sings

He froze, and all three of them turned to me at my rasp. My reflection stared back at me in the shine of his helmet, the blank expression of my face a mask just as his was, hiding the hatred seething through my veins. Strange to stand beside someone and know you would kill them without pause. I’d never killed anyone and yet I knew I would not lose a wink of sleep over his death.

Not when I’d already lost so much because of him.

“Then it’s good I’m not your master,” Captain Ruciyah drawled before pressing his gloved palm firmly on my back and guiding me forward, past Greabes and Crux, who waited on either side of the cruiser. “Crux, stay with the ship.”

A portly Louxurian male waited for us, bright orange robes swirling around him and casting a warm glow onto his translucent skin. “Captain Ruciyah, I am Beiste Lesephous. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” the male all but purred, lavender eyes gleaming just like the dainty gems in his pearlescent moustache.

“The pleasure is mine,” Captain Ruciyah greeted him in the same smooth voice I’d heard him use on theDaskquah.

But Lesephous did not extend his hand palm down the way most within the Federation did; instead he left it palm up. It surprised me when the captain’s free hand cupped it and he leaned down to press the top of his helmet to the male’s palm. The action was repeated but in reverse, Lesephous lingering just a touch too long against Captain Ruciyah’s gloved palm before he drew back.

Though his lavender eyes slid to me, he did not greet me, only perused my face and body as if I were a meal he was deciding if he wanted to eat. I swallowed down the acid rising in my throat, setting the mask I had to wear firmly in place with the slight upturn of the corners of my mouth. It was an expression I’d practiced for months in the mirror that allowed clients to see what they wanted to in my expression.

“Ah, and this must be your new plaything. I admit my Lyrace was so disappointed to hear you’ve taken such a shine to her.” The male gave a mock pout, gaze lingering on the small swell of my breasts visible on either side of the vee in the gown. “Do you share your toys?”

The hand on my back slid higher until gloved fingers wrapped around my nape. My stomach swooped at the territorial hold, even as nausea wrapped around my ribs. Captain Ruciyah stepped closer until he was practically in front of me.

“I’m afraid I’m much too possessive of my…things.” The last word came out as more of a growl and though I couldn’t see his face, I could practically taste his disgust on the air.

Lesephous nodded in a way that made it clear he didn’t think much of the captain’s statement and turned away, waving us forward imperiously. “Come, I’ve had my man prepare tea for us in the parlor.”

Captain Ruciyah did not release me as we walked through the halls, so lavish they bordered on overwhelming with every wall crammed with art and jewels. Each time I tried to shuffle away, his fingers only tightened, a small tremor rippling through his glove and into my skin.

The parlor we entered had a similar look to the rest of the ship, though magnified by a hundred. It was difficult to navigate with its numerous poufs, pillows, and chairs. Right in the center, two couches were arranged around a low table, an ornate carafe steaming in the center with two cups of honed crystal.

With another wave of his hand to the opposite couch, Lesephous fell onto his own with a heavy sigh. Immediately another Louxurian male skittered forward to pour the thick golden liquid into the cups while Captain Ruciyah lowered onto the seat. But when I stayed standing behind his couch as mostdid, his hand tightened again on my neck, though it gentled as he guided me down beside him.

I would have thought it protective if I hadn’t known him better.

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

“Thankyou for seeing us on such short notice,” Captain Ruciyah murmured, accepting the crystal cup from the servant and placing it back on the table.

Strange to offer someone in a helmet a drink.

Lesephous hummed, taking his own teacup from the male before waving him away. A slight sheen glimmered on his hairless head, spidery golden veins a similar shade to the tea in the cups.

“Remove your helm,” he commanded.

Behind us, Greabes gave a grunt of indignation, but Captain Ruciyah raised his free hand to silence him. “You know we only remove our helmets in our homes or for special circumstances.”

The male gave him a sly grin, taking another sip of the golden tea. “My home is your home, Captain Ruciyah. But I must inspect you if I am to add you to the list. Your little plaything here of course will be welcome, but what if there was somethingmonstrousbeneath that mask? I would never be able to survive the shame.”

I bit back my scoff. Therewassomething monstrous beneath his mask, yet I doubted Lesephous would see it. But Captain Ruciyah’s hand froze on the back of my neck, tension sliding out from his shoulders and down into my own. After a moment, the Louxurian male leaned forward, leveling him with a serious gaze. “If you want the invitation, I am afraid I must insist, Captain Ruciyah.”

All at once the unease melted away. Captain Ruciyah’s head tipped to the side as his hand slid from my neck, lingering for just a moment across the curve of my shoulder. “Call me Asher, please.”

The hardness in Lesephous’ face melted into a grin, the skin of his cheeks flushing a pale lavender. I tried not to watch as the captain pressed his thumbs into the divots beside his temples, but it was hard to look away when he carefully lifted the top half of the helmet from his head. The knot of hair was neater today, as if he’d anticipated this might be an eventuality.

At the last moment I remembered the role I had to play and leaned forward to take it from his grip, settling the warm metal in my lap. The inside was padded and the visor was not merely glass or a heat resilient polymer, but a screen through which he could see the world. I didn’t want to think about what it was he saw and what it told him when he looked through it.

“Thank you,ly’anen,” he murmured, brushing back the hair from my shoulder the way I’d seen countless masters do with their yeskas and yet…nothing like that at all. The intensity in his gaze was as if he was standing on the edge of a limb and wondering if he could survive a fall.

I fought the shiver dancing in the wake of his touch, merely a physical reaction to an intimacy I’d never known, and kept my eyes fixed on the top half of the helmet in my lap. It was easy to understand why Lyrace and now Lesephous fell at Captain Ruciyah’s feet in a puddle. I was sure anyone would crumble at the soft rumble of his voice, the wide breadth of his shoulders, even the sharp lines of his face, the piercing silver of his eyes.

He was a venomous flower calling you in, ready in a moment to destroy everything you’d ever loved.