When they reached the command room, Jade was surprised by the welcome Dragon received.

The entire command crew was on deck and all bowed to Dragon as he stepped onto the dais at the center of the octagonal room.

“Please, High Lord.” The captain motioned for Dragon to take the command chair he had just vacated.

“At ease,” Dragon said with a brilliant smile that was returned by several of the female personnel. He turned toward Jade who had remained a few steps behind, and gave her a puzzled look before reaching his hand for her.

Under the curious stare of the crew, Jade took his hand, and he pulled her up on the dais. She saw the inquisitive stares that immediately transformed into shock and even fear when people noticed her white marks.

“Your place is at my side, not in the shadows,” Dragon whispered to her, then he said out loud, “I present to you Lady Jade, my soulmate and your mistress.”

Jade felt her heart explode. Even though she knew next to nothing about the intricate rules that governed Solarian society, what Dragon had just done had a universal meaning. It was also extraordinary: He had just officially conferred upon her the same status as a spouse.

A round of cheers exploded on the deck, and Jade found herself nodding in thanks. “Please,” she said, when the festive ruckus wouldn’t abate.

“From now on, you’ll follow her orders as mine,” Dragon said.

The captain bowed to Jade. “My Lady Jade,” he said.

Jade didn’t know the etiquette in a situation like that, but Dragon squeezed her hand in his large one and smiled at her. His eyes locked with hers and the rest of the room disappeared. Nothing else mattered but this man’s smile and soft gaze.

With another gentle squeeze, Dragon said, “Lady Jade will command Glory into hyperspace today.”

Dazed, Jade looked around as the crew applauded, and the captain pointed at the command chair. Dragon steered her to the center of the dais and helped her into the raised chair.

The captain showed her the commands on the plasteel armrest. “Whenever you are ready, Lady Jade.”

Launching a ship into hyperspace was a formality, but in space, it was also the highest honor bestowed upon a civilian. Only a High Lord—or someone of equal rank—and his consort would be asked to activate the hyperdrive button.

Jade’s hand shook as she lowered her finger to the octagonal knob. She pushed, and the ship lurched forward amidst a lengthy applause.

“We’ll retire to our quarters,” Dragon told the captain, who bowed again at Jade before formally saluting Dragon.

As they were exiting the command room, they walked past Valerian and Gilda who had watched the scene from near the doorway. The princess gave Jade a warm smile, and Jade couldn’t help but think that she had just usurped the woman’s place.

“Are you okay?” Dragon asked, tugging at her hand. The entire time, he hadn’t released his hold on her.

“I’m confused, that’s all.” She looked at him, finding comfort in his soft gaze and tender smile.

He remained silent as they strolled across the ship, his fingers slowly circling her wrist. As soon as they entered his quarters, he turned to face her. “I wasn’t going to let anyone disrespect you. Glory is Solarian soil, and as such, you must be treated the same way a bride of mine should be treated. I know you don’t like the idea—”

“Thank you,” she said, stopping his tirade.

This time, it was Dragon who looked confused. “I thought you were going to be mad at me.”

“Nobody has ever done anything for me even remotely close to what you did just now. You gave me a place beside you.”

“Of course I did.” He released her hand then and moved to the center of the foyer. “This the multi-purpose parlor. The bedroom and en suite bathroom are behind that door.” He pointed his chin over his shoulder, indicating a large hatch to his right. “We have a dining room where we can have our meals if we don’t feel sociable—” He let the sentence dangle, giving her a languid look that stirred Jade’s imagination into thinking of all the reasons they might have to remain inside his quarters.

With a satisfied little smirk, Dragon turned to his left where an entryway led into a second room. “And a small library and studio that are accessible from the dining room.” He stepped closer to her. “Home sweet home for the next two months.”

“That’ll be a first for me,” she said.

“What would that be?” His eyes shone with a mischievous light. Dragon had the advantage in this sensual game he played, but Jade was surprised to realize that she didn’t dislike it as much as she had thought.

“A home,” she answered after a moment.

“You had the Academy,” he started, moving toward one of the two comfortable sofas decorating the foyer. He sat, sprawling in the velvety seat, stretching his long legs before him as he propped his chin on his bent arm.

“The Academy was never home.” Jade lowered herself onto the opposite sofa, slightly disappointed that they weren’t sitting together. Her wrist tingled where his fingers had caressed her skin in lazy circles.

“But you were devoted to its cause.” He crossed his ankles. The simple movement created a ripple of long muscles that mesmerized Jade.

“Once you are an assassin, you are either devoted or dead. My life was horrible before entering the Academy, but I’ve never had suicidal tendencies,” she said, then added with a rueful smile, “Until I met you, that is.”

His loud laugh shook his powerful chest, and he wiped his eyes.

“You think that’s funny?” she asked.

“Never thought I would drive women to suicide.” He still laughed. “I had this romantic idea of myself as a master of sex—”

Jade was out of her depth once again, and as she usually did when she faced an unknown situation, she retreated to a safer corner. “Where am I going to sleep?”

“In the bedroom, of course.”

“But that’s your room.”

“That’s our room, but until you let me share the bed with you, I’ll sleep on the guest bed.”

“A guest bed?” Jade looked around, looking for an additional room he hadn’t mentioned.

Dragon’s eyes cut to the wall behind his sofa. “There’s an alcove built into the wall.”

“I can sleep in the alcove,” she said.

“Nonsense. You’ll take our bed, and hopefully, I’ll soon be invited to keep you company.” His aquamarine gaze deepened, and he looked at her in that way of his that spoke of possession and sensual pleasure. “The nights on a ship can be long, and there is so much we could do to entertain ourselves.”

Jade couldn’t think of a smart comeback, or any comeback at all for that matter. His words painted fantasies she had never partaken in and awakened a side of her she didn’t know she had. Sex had always been a means to an end. When she felt the need to release some pent-up energy, she found a willing partner. Fast couplings behind closed doors, none of her encounters had been etched in her memory. But Dragon’s raw sensuality affected her senses and made her long for a deeper connection.

“I’m hungry,” she said. “I wish to go to the galley and eat something.”

At once, Dragon unfurled and stood. “As you wish, my Lady Jade.” He bowed to her and opened his arm, escorting her out of their quarters. He walked at her side, close enough that she could feel his warmth, but he never brushed her arm.

“We aren’t done yet,” he warned her as they entered the hallway. “You can change the topic as much as you want. We can sleep in separate rooms. You might own the singular skirmishes, but it’s the war I intend to win.” He opened the galley door for her.

Jade made a beeline for the table, where thankfully a server immediately came to take her order.