Page 9 of The Thren's Fated

“I… can’t…” Lena said, unable to find a better excuse.

The Thren cocked his head, a knowing smirk on his face, and he leaned in close to whisper in her ear.

“Do not lie to me. I can scent how desperately you want me, the arousal soaking through your clothing. Why do you resist?”

There was a catch in his voice, vulnerability dancing underneath the commanding tone. His mouth brushed her neck, sharp fangs raking against her skin and sending a jolt through her body. She needed to get out of here, and she needed to do it now.

Lena pushed on his chest until he moved aside, letting her pass.

“I’m sorry, I really have to go. But thank you for the dance.”

Even as she stepped backward, his eyes didn’t leave her, a strained look on his face and his hands in fists at his sides.

“Goodbye, little human.”

Oh, hell. Now that really got her going. Something about the timbre of his voice and the cutesy pet name made her want to drag him right back to her quarters.

God, did her body mourn his absence, but she just gave an awkward wave, then spun on her heel. She tensed as she hurried to the stairs, expecting him to grab her, but she entered the main level unencumbered. Without hazarding a glance back, despite the way her body screamed, she practically ran toward the exit, eager to make her escape.

Oh, what a fool she was.

Botune sparkled outside the expansive window of Lena’s quarters as she lay in bed, her ears still ringing from the music while her body hummed with need.

After leaving Cosmic Pulse, she’d rushed to her quarters, ready to put the whole experience behind her. But even after she’d taken a cold shower and dressed in fresh clothes, lust rang through her from the memory of the Thren’s touch.

The way her body reacted to him was so strange. Though he wasn’t as objectively horrifying as some of the species that called Henios home, he certainly wasn’t what she considered her “type”.

But that deep, gravelly voice and the firm grip of his hands, the way she fit so perfectly tucked against his large body, the tentacles brushing all over her… it was unlike anything she’d ever felt. Like she was meant to be in his arms.

Why hadn’t she just invited him back to her place? Was a one-night stand really all that bad? She’d been on Henios for three months and had never seen him at Ochin’s, so surely he wasn’t a regular. Probably just passing through on his way back to Botune.

A missed opportunity, certainly, one which was weighing on her more heavily than she expected. There would be more hot extraterrestrials to dance and flirt with.

Lena reached for her bedside table, taking two pills from a canister and swallowing them with a big gulp of water. Two may have been a bit overboard, but she really needed to get some sleep, to rest her mind. She hated having to take them, but she knew if she didn’t, she’d be up all night agonizing about the Thren.

She pressed a button on her console, the shades quickly blotting out the view of Botune and shrouding her room in darkness. With a heavy sigh, she pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes, trying to put thoughts of the Thren to rest.

INTERLUDE

It’s her. It’s her, it’s her, it’s her, it’s her. Watching her walk down those stairs was pure agony, like every bone in my body was being pulverized to dust. It’s her. It has to be. And yet, she left as if she felt nothing, nothing of the bane that has tormented me for so long. Something I have felt for decades, knowing she was somewhere just out of my reach. But now, I know where she is. I know where to find her. And I will not let her go.

CHAPTER 5

Lena hummed along with the quiet music as she wiped down the counter at Ochin’s, on edge after the strange encounter the previous night.

She was still drowsy from the sleeping pills, and though an enormous mug of traxaccino—a Thren beverage and essentially the equivalent of a sweet coffee with hints of bitter chocolate—had helped, she was eager to get done with her shift and hide away in her quarters.

She startled when she felt a brush against her arm, but it was only Ochin. She’d been deep in thought about the mysterious male from the club and hadn’t heard her boss sneak up on her. Not that it was too difficult to do.

Ochin moved with the grace of a shadow.

“We have a special guest today, Lena dear,” she said, her hair tentacles waving excitedly behind her head. “Commander Rohieth Screl, one of the princes of the Thren Empire.”

A prince? Here? She supposed it wasn’t so outlandish; she stared at Botune every night before she went to sleep. He must be here for the Peace Accords, some sort of official royal presence while the diplomats dished out the details of the treaty.

She waited for Ochin to continue. What did any of that have to do with her? She was always polite, even to species that weren’t so friendly. Everyone was welcome at Ochin’s as long as they followed the rules and paid their tabs.

“He has… specifically requested your service. He is with a small group at one of the private tables.”