Victoria

Steam rises up to greet me the moment I open the door. I thought we were going to hide in some closet, but no, this is a steambath!

Nero ushers me inside and closes the door behind him. He removes the chain around my neck and, with one swift movement, pulls the dress over my head.

Just like that I’m standing fully naked in Virgil Livius’s steam room.

“What are you doing?!” I stammer, half shocked, half aroused at the ease which with he stripped me.

“We might be here for a while,” Nero says as he takes his armor off. “Might as well enjoy it.”

My protests fade away the moment his hard, trained, naked body comes into view. No matter how many times I’ve seen him naked, it’s a pleasure each and every time.

He opens his arms for me and I gratefully accept, resting my head against his chest. He holds me tightly, but I can tell something’s wrong.

Normally his hands wander nonstop, but now, he feels… distant.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Everything.”

Nero sits down on the stone bench and rests his hands in his head. I sit next to him and place my hand on his thigh.

“You are still my mate,” I say. “No matter what.”

“How can I be?” he roars. “I am a monster.”

“You are not your heritage. You make your own decisions, Nero.”

“I have a presence inside of me,” he says. “A darkness. I feel it. I am not like other Elbans. We are not alike, Victoria. We are too different.”

Tears spring to my eyes, and the pit in my stomach grows. I have had this thought before, but I ignored it. Love would find a way, right?

That’s how it works.

Or how it’s supposed to.

“Don’t say that,” I say. “Please don’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

“It’s not! I came here, to this alien world, for you! Because I believe in you, in us, in what we have!”

“What do we have?” he growls. Nero looks up at me. His eyes are filled with anguish. “I cause nothing but pain. Everyone I love dies. You’d be better off without me. You’d be better off never knowing me.”

“That’s a lie.”

I jump out of my seat and jab my finger into Nero’s broad chest.

“That’s a lie and you know it!” I say. “My life is infinitely better for having known you!”

“How? Why?” Nero asks. “We are hunted everywhere we go.”

“You have shown me that the universe is so much bigger than I thought, so much bigger than anyone thought possible. You have shown me that I’m… worthy of love. That I can aim higher, shoot for the stars themselves. You’ve made me feel beautiful, cherished, loved and understood. That doesn’t change, even if you want to sit here and sulk and pretend it never happened!”

“I’m not sulking,” he growls. The alien warrior rises to his feet and balls his fists.

“What are you doing then? Because from here, it looks like you’re sulking. Woe is me, my father was the most powerful man in existence. Poor baby.”

“How dare you talk to me like that?!” he says, his eyes filled with anger, the veins in his neck bulging. He seems to grow another inch as he towers over me…

I am pushing all of his buttons, and enjoying the reaction.

“That’s the Nero I know,” I say. “Filled with energy and purpose! Sadness won’t get us anywhere. We have to fight!”

He cocks his head. “You’re insulting me on purpose? Trying to get a rise out of me? Why, I ought to punish you!”

He takes a step forward, forcing my back against the wall. Nero’s leaning over me, and as his eyes wander over my naked body, his cock grows and grows, until its pressing agains my naked thigh, feeling so hot against my skin that it just might leave a burn.

“Please do,” I answer brazenly.

* * *

Nero

She challenges me.

She defies me.

She drives me insane.

Why can’t I resist her?

My hand grips her neck. I can feel her heart beat in the palm of my hand. The scent of her arousal surrounds me, and it makes my cock even harder.

Physically I outmatch Victoria.

It’s not even a question.

Despite my raw strength, she wields a power as well. Her words mean the world to me. Her smile is worth more to me than my life.

And right now, that smile of hers is asking me to punish her.

“Do it,” she whispers. “Make me yours.”

My other hand slides down her naked back, enjoying the sensations of her smooth skin. The room is filled with steam, sweat dripping down both our bodies. I rest my forehead against hers and gaze into her eyes as my hand slides down onto her curvy ass.

I love the human female with all my heart.

Which is why it pains me that I have to let her go.

For her own sake.

I am not meant for this world. Born to die. An anomaly. A mistake. I cannot outrun my past. I cannot outrun my very being.

It will haunt me. Forever. Letting go of Victoria is the only thing I can do. The only way I can protect her. To love her is to let her go.

I press my lips against hers, my tongue slipping into her mouth.

This is our last time together.

I’m going to make it count.