His dark voice trails down her spine, lighting a path of desire that renders her breathless. "If only I were in a position of no consequence."
Alia's breath wavers when the pad of his thumb slowly glides across her bottom lip.
"Then I could give in...
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"Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed." - Alexander Pope
•
The General's lounge is spacious and quiet. Four black leather couches sit across from each other near the centre of the room and tables holding various items, such as blades and snacks, line one of the stone walls. A dim, blue-tinted light emits from LEDs scattered across the ceiling, softly illuminating the Gamma who sits alone on one of the couches, the others empty.
With one leg crossed over the other and a notebook in his hands, Christian quietly writes things down with a black pen. Surrounding him and leaning against the rough, cold slate walls of the lounge are nine of the twelve current Generals. They haven't spoken a word since they were called in here, and neither has Christian.
A sound comes from the seated male and it abruptly makes the Generals straighten and lean off of the walls. However, their Gamma just purses his lips, narrows his eyes at the notebook and taps his pen against his thigh. They feel like they're going to burst from all of the tension built up inside of them.
They've been like this for almost twenty minutes.
Footsteps outside the lounge make Christian's ears twitch. Placing the now closed notebook and pen next to him, he holds back a smile when the scent of blood reaches his nose. The Generals try not to show how they're feeling but Christian can feel the unease that leaks out of them. It pleases him.
All eyes move to the door of the General's lounge once it's pushed open, and the Generals' spines straighten even further when they see the male who steps inside. Some are curious, having never seen him before.
Valen closes the door behind him and then leans against it with his sheathed sword pressing into his back. Blood has splattered onto his face, chest, hands and the lower part of his combat trousers. He tries to scratch off the blood on his hands but it spreads around instead, so he decides to just cross his arms.
Christian speaks. "Have they been taken to the infirmary?"
Valen nods.
A moment passes before Christian pushes himself off of the couch and walks over to one of the tables behind him. As he pours himself a glass of water, he voices a question to the room. "Does anyone know of Nikolai and Alek's whereabouts?"
Silence.
He leans against the table and crosses his ankles. "No?"
All Generals, aside from Valen, keep their eyes on the floor. A few of them have their eyebrows lowered in anger, questioning where the two men could be, for their absence is a blatant act of disrespect towards their Gamma.
