Page 50 of When the Universe Sings

Our host smiled widely, grabbing for the male and all but forgetting me for the moment as their lips crashed together. I let out a quiet exhale of relief, scanning the crowd for Asher, but he was nowhere to be found. However, Listra’s hand tangled in the chains of my bodice, pulling me closer while Lucien sucked on his lower lip.

“Is there a quiet spot we could be alone and get to know each other a little better, Senator?” Lucien purred.

A pang of panic returned. Lucien was not supposed to be a part of this, but Listra nodded fervently, grabbed our hands and pulled us bodily from the ballroom. I only looked back once, but it was to see Asher slicing through the thickening crowd, gaze fixed on me. Then we turned a corner and Listra dragged us down a flight of stairs, ending up in a darkened hallway much less splendid than the others.

Listra let go of my hand in favor of pressing Lucien up against a wall. There was the wet sound of lips upon flesh, Listra’s moans echoing through the corridor. A faint glow emanated ahead from around another sharp corner, but before I could take a step forward a hand closed around my wrist, yanking me toward them.

“What a lucky male I am”—Listra groaned and I could just make out Lucien biting softly on his throat—“to have the brightest gems of the night within my grasp.”

Horror crept up my throat and I was grateful for the darkness of the hall. Of course we had talked about gaining Listra’s interest, but I’d hoped it would be through conversation. Granted, I was not the most verbose or skilled at such thing, and though I’d known this was an eventuality, every cell in my body rebelled against the thought of touching him. Even if it might get us closer to the stone.

Right now, this was the beginnings of a messy threesome with no opportunity to even question where our quarry might be.

“I think we might be the lucky ones,” Lucien answered. At the mouth of the hall a few voices slipped toward us, though I couldn’t see anyone approach. “Where have you brought us, Phyenix? Are you one of those filthy little boys who loves to be caught?”

Again, I could only stand there, breathing another sigh of relief as Listra refocused on Lucien, his hand falling from my wrist. I took the opportunity to wipe away my expression, even if I knew it would leave a blank mask in its place. But the Louxurian senator wasn’t paying attention to me. No, he fell to his knees in front of Lucien, hands sliding up the fabric of his pants.

“Second floor,” Listra whispered huskily. “This area’s artifact was taken hours ago for safekeeping off world—no one will find us here.”

I edged around them as Lucien stroked the male’s cheek. “You are a clever little pet, aren’t you?”

Maker. Listra’s attention remained wholly fixed on Lucien as I crept close enough to peek around the corner. A tall pedestal stood in the center, rough-hewn from a gray stone that didn’t look native to the planet. Beside it sat a small glass box on the floor I assumed had housed whatever he’d had moved, complete with a holographic plaque attached to the side.

A moan slithered around the corner—Lucien’s—followed by a slurp. I took a careful step so it made no noise and crouched beside the glass. With the dim light, it was difficult to read the words. Glass scraped across crystal before I was able to tilt it toward the light.

“What are you doing?” a deep voice snapped.

I dropped the glass as if burned, chest rising and falling rapidly. Shooting to my feet, I raised my hands in surrender as a white-clad guard stepped into the room, blaster pointed straight at my chest.

“I—sorry. I was just…”

“What are you doing in this section of the estate?” the guard growled, taking a step closer.

I waved behind me toward the hallway where Lucien and Listra were. “I was brought here.”

“This area is off limits.”

“Hey, now. Let’s all calm down.” Lucien appeared from around the corner, raising his hands quickly when the guard turned on him. “Our host brought us for a little…private time. You recognize me, don’t you?”

The guard didn’t even blink. “If Listra brought you down here, where is he?”

Fuck. WherewasListra? He’d been around the corner, mouth full of Lucien’s cock, only a few moments ago. A flash of panic crossed Lucien’s face for barely a second before it smoothed into a warm smile. “I’m afraid I tired him out after all thelagneiahe consumed. You know how it is.” He gestured behind him to the hallway.

“You, stand there,” the guard barked, directing Lucien to stand beside me. He kept his blaster trained on us while he searched for his master in the dark.

I turned toward Lucien, eyes widening in question, and, though he threw me a wink, it was brittle. All at once the guard straightened. “The fuck did you do to him?”

Lucien pointed at his chest. “Me? Other than suck his brain from his cock?”

The guard flicked the side of the blaster, releasing the safety with a hum. “You what?”

My mouth opened and closed before I moved forward, only to step back when the blaster flicked to me. “He’s joking.”

“It’s true, a crude joke at a poor time. I admit I talk too much when I’m nervous or drunk”—Lucien’s head tilted from side to side—“and right now I’m a little of both.”

Maker. The guard’s eyes narrowed on us, then on the glass box behind us. “We know there are at least two mercenary groups looking for what used to be in this room.”

I never thought I would be thanking my years at Ebyd III for the mask I could keep in place. Instead of gasping like I wanted to, I frowned and looked at the box beside my foot. “What was in this room?”