No…

There was no way the two of them were talking about what it sounded like. Unlike him, they were both straight. He knew that for a fact, and yet, as they continued arguing, it definitely sounded like two lovers squabbling.

Completely confounded, Maris met Nykyrian’s stunned expression as the royal prince caught up to him in the hallway outside Darling’s office. Tall, blond, and lethal, Nykyrian – or Nemesis, as he was better known – was a former League assassin who had an intensity that let you know in an instant he saw you first as a target and then, only if you were lucky, a sentient creature he might not want to kill.

Being half Andarion, Nykyrian’s hearing was even more astute than Maris’s. Not that anyone needed supersonic hearing to miss this exchange. Their decibel level carried quite plainly through the heavy door of the emperor’s office.

And how Darling’s two imperial guards remained stone-faced while it went on was a testament to their training.

“Hell. No. Hauk,” Darling snapped, enunciating each word with rage. “As much as I love and owe you, I’m not doing that for you. Ever. Forget it… And even if we did, you couldn’t handle it. Besides, you’ve never wanted it before. Not like this, and definitely not from me.”

Maris’s jaw dropped in synchronicity with Nykyrian’s.

“Ah, come on, Darling.” Hauk continued to plead in a tender, needful tone Maris had never heard him use before. “After everything I’ve done over the years to protect your sorry ass, I can’t believe you won’t share it with me. Don’t be like this. This isn’t a want. It’s a need. A major one. If you really loved me, you’d do this for me without question. Now give it to me! Please!”

“No! Not if we were the last two beings in the universe. Not even if you were down on your knees in front of me, buck naked and begging me for it.”

His expression horrified, Nykyrian opened the door to show Darling and Hauk standing on opposite sides of Darling’s desk, glaring at each other as if they were about to come to blows.

With his short red hair brushed back from his face and his royal harone hanging to his left shoulder, Darling was dressed in dark blue and maroon emperor robes while Hauk was swathed in a red-tinged black blast-resistant Sentella battlesuit that hugged every inch of his huge, well-muscled body. His black hair fell to his shoulders in small, extremely attractive braids that were common for the warriors on his home planet to designate them as the fiercest of their breed. The stark darkness of his warrior’s uniform made his skin glow a rich tawny-caramel that would make anyone’s mouth water for a taste.

Obviously annoyed, Hauk turned toward them and pinned them with his red-and-white Andarion eyes.

Even though Nykyrian shared many Andarion traits with Hauk, such as fangs, sensitive hearing, and extreme height, he had green human eyes. Ones that showed no fear as he locked gazes with Hauk. “Thank the gods you’re both still dressed and not entwined naked on the floor… Now tell me, what exactly are we interrupting?”