Chapter Twelve

The message popped up in my peripheral as I walked out of HQ. With some difficulty, I navigated over to it and opened it, revealing an invitation from Rel for chip-to-chip communication on a supposedly secure line.

[I’m…mostly fine. Making my way to the Syldrari Sector now. I’m patrolling again today.] I bit back a grimace when I heard myself. That…was me, but not me. Had my thoughts always been in Syldran, or was the chip translating?

There was a sigh before he responded, [Half the sector is on-edge because we could feel your distress from here. What happened?]

[Nightmares again. Zafir prescribed some herbs for me to pick up for tea that will help,] I answered. Rel’s ‘presence,’ for lack of a better word, bristled and grew in my head.

[If there’s anything I can do…]

[Not that I know of, or that is safe. Granted, I’m not convinced that sleeping over at HQ is safe, either. Plus, seeing a Syldrari therapist is off the table.] I paused to murmur my thanks to one of the military pilots, then boarded the waiting craft that would take me to the Syldrari Sector. [You should know, four of Citomy’s Lun’mosurl came to HQ this morning. They already know I’m a queen, and they’re trying to get the imperials to remove me from active duty.]

[Were they anyone else…] Rel paused, as if distracted. [Almost everyone knows you are a queen at this point, Elara. There is no hiding it except from children, humans, and other non-Syldrari species. Even some of them will know. Jysel is almost finished evacuating the other queens. Once finished, our focus will shift entirely to you.]

I watched the towering, black and steel buildings whizz by my window. Tapping my fingers against my leg, I tried to understand what that comment made me feel. Excitement? Sadness? It was like I was forgetting something important on Creshe. [How goes recapturing criminals?]

[Who said we are recapturing them?] Rel feigned innocence, his tone sending a shiver of excitement through me. [Come by the cafe while you make your rounds. I made you breakfast you can eat while you work. For now… I must get back to my customers. It’s busy today…]

The shuttle sank toward the ground as we neared the gap between the Syldrari Sector and its human neighbor. The line was hardly needed to mark the difference, yet there it was. Seeing the ground below was impossible. Shadowy nothingness, bordering the district of sculpted spires, both circular and geometric buildings, and spiraling streets.

Then, the familiar centerpiece that stood taller than any other building—the place filled with gardens and pastures for growing their native foods. It dawned on me that I’d barely begun to touch the Syldrari Sector. My escapades had been limited to the mercantile areas and the residential buildings closest to them. I hadn’t gone any deeper than that—they were never on my patrols.

“Ma’am?” The pilot questioned.

“Sorry, I was thinking. Thanks for the ride.” I rose to my feet and disembarked, tracing my way down the path of my usual patrols.

It seemed like, no matter the time of day, the Syldrari were bustling about their lives. Yet, the Sector was enormous. This couldn’t be the only place people gathered.

Are we…targeting only the border with human sectors? I pulled up an overview of the city to check out patrol locations. Sure enough, my zone covered the border with the humans—the border with the Forseyl was unassigned, and there were no other patrols in the sector. My path was too large for one person to handle, and a quick check showed me my team was in the same situation. understaffed…or are they keeping us distracted?

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I gnawed on my lower lip before sending a copy of the schedule to Rel. Statistically, my chances of finding criminals were low. Rel, however, could position as he pleased.

Around an hour later, I managed to get through the crowds and to Rel’s cafe—where I was met by a warning sign in my overlay: an offensively bright and complicated sigil next to a name and profile. I carefully ignored the individual in the café that had resulted in the warning, and instead made my way to the counter with a smile, catching Rel’s attention as I bent over it. “Good morning, Rel~ Could we speak privately for a moment?”

Something predatory flickered in his gaze as he studied me. He dried his hands on a towel and set it aside before calling to Ciheri at the other end of the bar, “Take over for a while so I can see to Elara’s…needs.”

Rel grabbed my ass with one hand and pushed me toward the stairs, earning warning growls and hisses from his customers. Once we got upstairs, Rel backed me into the door of his apartment and gripped my jaw, his intense stare causing my heart to flutter. “Give me a good reason for why you decided to tease me.”

“Because one of your customers downstairs is listed as an escaped criminal, and I figured it best he thinks I’m fully distracted by you,” I answered with an innocent smile, trailing my fingertips along the inside curve of his forearm, then down the front of his shirt. I wanted to continue from where we left off the prior night so badly it hurt.

“Patient… We must be patient,” Rel growled, his glow deepening to a dark pink. “What category criminal? Give me their profile.”

I did as he asked, but instead of turning to go deal with the matter, he pressed me into the door and tilted my head back. My heart leapt from my chest as he kissed me, his passion and the aura of heat around him nearly overwhelming me. His sinfully long tongue delved so deep it almost went down my throat.

When he pulled back, he smirked, stroking my cheek with one thumb and purred, “Sitaj-ri.”

Arousal and embarrassment warred within me the moment I registered that he’d uttered the Syldran equivalent to ‘good girl.’ On fire to my ears, I managed to respond, “Did you have to call me that?”

“Hmm? Am I wrong…? Ah.” Rel gave me a devious smile, his glowing blue tongue flicking over his lips briefly. “Come along. You need your breakfast, and I have someone to deal with.”

I followed begrudgingly. Hmph, maybe I should have you for breakfast…

You can try, but we’ve already established you can’t fit enough of me in your mouth for that. Rel’s voice and presence echoing through my head made my body react, nipples stiffening, and I barely managed to suppress a sound of utter lust.

D-don’t do that in public! I protested as he opened the door for me, and we reentered the cafe.

Rel shot me a smug look, before heading over to the counter and picking up a bagged meal plus a drink for me. “Here you are. We can sate your ‘other’ hungers once you’re off duty.”

“My… Rel!” I exclaimed, my body burning hotter.

Several drinks slammed on the nearby tables, but Rel seemed perfectly content to ignore them, his focus remaining exclusively on me, even as I felt as if I were going to combust.

“I’m not yours…yet. But, you will be mine first.” Rel’s confident smirk made the corner of my eye twitch. He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek, his glow turning a playful shade of pink. “Don’t let me keep you from your task.”

Flushed and frustrated, I made my way to the door.

“Phew… Rel, did you turn the heat on in here?” One of the patrons spoke up. “Could you turn it back down? With the ovens running…”

It isn’t just me he affects with that…? Oh dear. I cast a worried glance over my shoulder before pulling out the wrapped breakfast thing, eyeing the purple bread, strips of grilled, blue meat, and a multicolored filling I didn’t recognize. I started to eat while resuming my patrol and sent Rel a quick message. [Maaaybe be more careful? If your, ‘I’m so hot I set Elara on fire’ schtick affects everyone, we should assume it has to do with you being a Ter’suline. It’s more dangerous if word about you gets out.]

Attached to the message was an image of what appeared to be glowing rope or cord. Beside it, the store listing made it quite clear it was for use on people, and that they sold other ‘attachments’ to tease your partner with.

<…I will consider it. Now, behave? Please? I need to focus!> I winced, cursing aloud when I accidentally bit my tongue. Pouting, I forced myself to slow down.