Ryker was leaning toward Alya's glistening neck. He could hear the faint, steady beat of her pulse beneath the pale skin. The mermaid's pink eyes fluttered shut, her lips parted in a soft sigh of anticipation.
"Ahem," Liv's cough was as sharp as an icicle.
"Ryker," Anna's fingers dug into his shoulders, not in anger, but in a desperate silent plea.
He stopped himself. He hadn't even realized he was moving, so potent was the pull.
"Ah sorry," he murmured, leaning his head back against the cool tile.
Liv and Anna unknowingly prevented a war.
Instead of being upset or jealous, Alya giggled, a sound like wind chimes in a sea breeze. The simple fact that he wanted to do it was enough.
After an hour they went back to their rooms. Liv and Anna for some reason went together into Anna's room. Fenia's loud, exaggerated gasps came as a result of watching the latest episode of her new favorite show.
Ryker had a small smile on his face, seeing Fenia. The wolf looked like any ordinary woman and not some drama ghoul.
She finally looked away from the tablet and met his gaze.
"It seems you had fun," she said, a smug look on her face.
He shot a glance at her, raising his eyebrows.
"What do you mean?" he sat on the armchair across from the bed.
"You almost bit her. Don't you deny it," Fenia smirked, and her wolf ears wiggled, her attention went right back to the show.
"How did you see that? I thought you were watching your show."
Without looking away, she simply replied, "Shadows are every where Master."
Her tail curled and uncurled like a contented cat on the pristine white sheets.
Grabbing a towel from the closet, he took a shower and then decided to continue his core training. The security let him bring his mana crystals.
Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes. He started with ice and just like before it was a success. The energy from the crystal flowed into him like a gentle stream, settling into the new cold depths of his Iota core without issue.
Delta still seemed so far to him.
A quiver in his stomach made him doubt about practicing space mana. Not on a flight where he could risk the lives of everyone. Deciding that was for the best, he absorbed a total of 3 crystals before stopping.
"Why are you so afraid of your space mana?" Fenia was now on her stomach, chin propped in her hands, watching him like a hawk.
He opened an eye.
"It's unstable. The crystal will just shatter like what happened at home."
He wasn't sure why he was being so open with her.
"Do you know how?" he asked, a bit desperate for an answer.
She shook her head.
"Space magic is beyond me," she paused her show, the sounds of dramatic k-drama conflict fading away.
"Are you hungry? I could make you something," she offered.
What a weird woman, he thought.
"Sure," he answered, not expecting her to actually know how to use modern appliances.
With a smirk on her face, slipping out of her white maid uniform, her milky thighs were now exposed.
A faint heat started to rise. Ryker was caught off guard. He thought she was going to seduce him.
Instead of some alluring lingerie, a plain white sports bra and boyshorts were revealed.
"Much better," Fenia sighed.
She headed into the kitchen and rummaged through the expensive stocked refrigerator. The whole plane was filled with high-end products. But for her this might as well have been a box of alien organs.
"Aha!"
A juicy steak caught her attention.
She held it with two fingers and inspected it with the expertise of a predator evaluating its prey.
Taking out a plate, without cooking it, she started to eat it, as if it was the most normal thing to do.
The rhythmic sounds of her chewing, tearing of flesh, had an unsettlingly intimate quality.
"I thought you were going to make me something," he said, tilting his head.
Her antics were too confusing. One minute she was a deadly operative sent to keep him in line, next she was a feral child learning about tablets, and now this.
"I am," she replied with a deadpan expression, taking another bite.
He sat there for 10 minutes watching her munch on the uncooked meat.
When she was finally done, her face and hands were covered in blood. She wasn't the least bit disgusted. The sight was strangely erotic.
Cleaning her face and hands with water from the sink, she turned her attention back to him, the smell of iron and blood still lingering around her.
She took of her bra. Her nipples were as pink as a baby's seal. Then she headed straight to him.
"I have something for you master," her tail was wagging as she stood before him, presenting her naked upper body.
Fenia's smirk was a knowing, challenging thing, a dare woven into the curve of her lips.
Ryker was rubbing his chin, deep in thought.
"Hello? Earth to master?" Fenia waved a hand in front of his face, confused.
"Usually men aren't this composed around me."
It wasn't just about refusing her. He was genuinely confused about her actions and why Valerica would send someone like this. This was more than just a guard.
"Alright," he said, leaning forward. He didn't try to touch her breasts, instead, he reached out and traced the outline of her crescent moon tattoo with his index finger.
The wolf's playful confidence evaporated, replaced by a sudden tension that made the muscles in her arms stand out. She flinched, a full-body recoil and slapped his hand away with a sharp, instinctive crack of skin on skin.
"You don't get to touch that," she snarled.
The low growl that rumbled in her chest was animalistic, a stark warning that this playful puppy was very much a wolf. She snatched her sports bra off the floor, pulling it back on with jerky, angry motions.
"So you do have boundaries," Ryker observed, not flinching from her sudden hostility.
He ran a hand through his hair, "Mine is to not lie. And apparently yours is don't touch your tattoos."
His ruby eyes met hers, determined.
The corner of her mouth twitched. The wolf's rage receded, replaced by a grudging, almost amused respect.
"You lied to me before. About Alya. You broke what little trust I gave you."
Fenia ears stood up.
"I'm giving you one chance to be honest with me, to either build a bridge or forever burn it down."
He made sure she was listening, that her undivided attention was on him.
"Why are you here?" he asked.