Mine Alone

Posted on Tue Oct 21st, 2025 @ 6:40am by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Lieutenant Harper Bennett & Petty Officer 2nd Class Jasper Branson & Chief Petty Officer Julius Law & Petty Officer 1st Class Jackie King & Immy
Edited on on Tue Oct 21st, 2025 @ 6:53am

Mission: S1 Episode 9: Annihilation Protocol
Location: XO's Quarters
Timeline: Date 2372-02-17 at 2245
5547 words - 11.1 OF Standard Post Measure

It was the evening of February 17th, and the hour drew nearer where all Carnival festivities would cease and the crews would be asked to turn their mind to the mission at hand. While most of the debauchery had ramped up to a fever pitch, there were still more tame parties happening all over Vengeance. One of them was occurring in the XO’s Quarters. Over the course of the four hours the party was raging, most of the crew cycled in and out, enjoying drinks and finger foods before moving on to the next occasion. Now, as the evening died down, everyone had left save Andrei, Lyra, and a few more trusted guests. Andrei and Lyra, the two hosts, sat together on the couch next to Jasper and Immy while Jackie, Julius, and Harper each occupied chairs carrying on their own conversations.

Jackie smirked as she swirled her drink, her Australian accent cutting through the low hum of conversation.

“Alright, here’s a proper one for you. If you had to go the rest of your life with either bad sex but amazing food, or mind-blowing sex but every meal tastes like wet cardboard, what’s it gonna be? And don’t give me any of that ‘I’ll find a way to fix it’ nonsense. This is a binding deal. Choose wisely.”

She leaned forward, eyes glinting as she waited for the reactions. “Personally, I reckon I’d learn to cook a mean cardboard soufflé.”

“Cardboard. Easily. He’ll I’d eat it dry if I had to.” Jasper replied and took a sip of his drink. “I’m sure I’ve eaten worse things than that.”

Lyra remained quiet for the moment, sipping her drink while she sat next to Andrei and her free hand rested absently on his thigh. She looked absolutely stunning, though it was hardly a surprise given the care she put into her appearance. She wore a deep purple dress with a plunging neckline that showed off her large breasts and the matching plunging back showed the beautiful definition of her spine. The neckline was framed by patterns of emeralds, diamonds, and gold - all colors very appropriate to the season. The length was more modest and hit her just a few inches above her knee, but the fabric hugged every gorgeous curve she had to offer and made the dress look painted on. She had certainly caught many eyes during the evening, but not nearly enough of the only ones she wanted. Those had been busy wandering elsewhere.

“To be honest with you, I’d probably take the food. Nothing beats a good meal,” Julius said with a touch of mirth in his voice, though his expression remained neutral. His gaze flicked to Lyra more than once, but, as always, he kept things professional.

“You’re absolutely mad,” Immy replied, flashing a playful smile in Julius’ direction. Her eyes lingered on his chiseled frame, unabashed in her appreciation. “I’d choke down cardboard breakfast, lunch, and dinner if it meant keeping thing exciting in the bedroom.”

As she spoke, her hand trailed lazily to Jasper’s leg, her red cocktail dress sliding just enough to hint at more of her toned thigh. With her legs crossed neatly and her stiletto heel dangling from her foot, she exuded confident flirtation. “Life’s too short for bland in any department, don’t you think?”

“I agree.” Jasper nodded, placing his large hand over Immy’s and giving it a squeeze.

“Perhaps you just haven’t had the right kind of sex if you think that way.” Lyra finally commented, her glittering dark eyes moving to Julius and lingering there. She noticed his interest - she always had.

Julius shrugged, the motion signaling ease and calmness as much as comfort. He’d never been the nervous type in any situation. He was tough, and tough was all he’d ever wanted to be.

“I’ve had a lot of different kinds of sex in my day, Commander. But my mind is open.” He said, eyeing her with unsubmissive eyes. He acknowledged her leadership and had never challenged her, but he was not a docile man by nature. He was difficult and stubborn. “Pussy or pork ribs. The choice is clear.”

“I’ve had both and pussy’s definitely better.” Jackie said, smiling and leaning back in her chair.

“Can’t argue with that one, Andrei said, his arm moving around Lyra’s shoulders on the back of the couch. He’d gotten quite a lot of attention as well since the party started, and he figured she didn't like that fact. “How about you, Harp? Cock or casserole?”

Harper giggled like Andrei had just made some hilarious joke. Her flushed cheeks indicated her drunkenness, and she took another drink out of the glass in her hand. Her pretty eyes lingered on him and him alone, not at all innocent. “Cock. Big, thick cock.

“That’s right, girl.” Immy said with a big smile. She had limited experience with the fleet captain, but her reputation of being reserved, dutiful, and serious proceeded her. It seemed that went out of the window with a few drinks. “And based on that heartbeat and your pupil dilation, I bet you know what big cock you mean.”

“Easy now.” Andrei said, his tone warning but his face giving away his total amusement. He made eye contact with Harper, but his arm held Lyra a bit closer at the same time.

“You don’t know what that means; I know.” Harper giggled and waved Andrei off, his handsome face communicating more to her than the warning tone.

Jasper chuckled, though it lacked genuine amusement behind it. He glanced over at Lyra quickly; she didn’t seem angry, but she also wasn’t laughing along. That made him nervous, mostly for Immy’s sake. She may not have had a body anymore and was for the moment safely integrated into the computer, but Lyra was terribly intelligent and wickedly vindictive. He wondered if the women thought Andrei would protect them from her ire… and maybe he would.

“Yes, clearly she’s talking about Julius Law. The man is the size of a tree.” Andrei said, grinning and chuckling as he veered attention to the other man. “Julius, you must be quite the lady killer.”

Julius nodded, but his words didn’t match the confirmation that gesture implied. “I don’t worry about any of that. The ladies come and go.”

“Often multiple times, I’d bet.” Jackie said, seeming deeply amused by her joke.

Immy laughed more enthusiastically than most. She loved to have a good time but she was perceptive enough to notice the subtle tension that existed between Andrei and Lyra. She’d been around Andrei enough to have a solid read on him.

“Well, it’s always nice to have a man who knows when to keep it simple. Wouldn’t want to complicate that war-torn tough guy thing you’ve got going on, would we?” She responded, lifting a glass to her lips. She was a hologram and drunkenness was impossible, but she loved the experience all the same. Her hand moved up Jasper’s thigh slightly, but only enough that he would notice.

Jasper smiled as he felt Immy’s hand moving up his thigh. Their arrangement was a strange one of course, but he’d found he didn’t care as much about that now. While they didn’t see each other constantly, Jasper made it a point to visit Immy when he could while still maintaining a normal social life with his crew mates. Truly, he probably saw her more this way than he would have were she still a slave.

Lyra chuckled softly, and to the people in the room she was engaged in the conversation though not directly taking part. Only Andrei would have been able to tell she was well passed having an enjoyable time, but he preferred looking at other women tonight. She finished her drink and stood with the cordial smile of a hostess.

“Would anyone like another drink?”

“It’s getting pretty late.” Jasper offered up in reply and looked over at Immy.

“Yeah, it is.” Immy responded, understanding it was time to go. She looked over to the bedroom for a second before turning her gaze to Andrei. “You might want to let the couple in your bed know though.”

Lyra glanced toward the bedroom door, but left it alone and went over to the bar to get herself another drink while Andrei’s guests sorted themselves out.

Harper took advantage of Lyra’s absence to get up and walk over to the couch, flopping down next to Andrei and leaning into him.

“This was a great party.” She slurred drunkenly.

Jasper rolled his eyes slightly and stood, reaching down and offering his hand to Immy with a smile.

Immy took Jasper’s hand quite happily and stood up. She couldn’t exactly follow him out into the corridors because of the lack of Holoemitters, but they could always pretend as long as possible. She was determined, one day, to find a way around these limitations.

“Harper, darling, we have to get you back to your quarters. You’re smashed.” Andrei said, putting his hand on Harper’s shoulder as she leaned on him, his eyes went around the room to those still left. He could offer to take her himself, but there was resetting to do here.

“I can take her back, Boss Man.” Jackie offered, stepping up to them. She reached for Harper’s hand to help her up and lead her away.

“Thank you all for coming.” Lyra bid them goodbye, took her drink, and made her way toward the bedroom.

“But I don’t wanna go.” Harper protested and wrapped her arms around Andrei, looking up at him with large glassy eyes. “I love it when you call me darling.”

Andrei put his strong hands on her arms and pulled at them until they came loose from around him. Holding her hands, he looked into her eyes with his mismatched ones.

“Harper, you’re going with Jackie now.” He said as if he was talking to a child, but firmly. He stood, pulling her up with him. “Go with Jackie.”

Harper frowned like a pouting child. “What happened to your eyes?”

She shook her head immediately, trying to put her hands on Andrei’s face. “You’ll come see me later right?”

Fortunately, by that point, everyone else except Jackie had already cleared out. Andrei smiled with a look of flawless charm. He grabbed her hands from his face.

“Yeah, Harp. I’ll see you later. Don’t worry.” He lied. He then placed Harper’s hand in Jackie’s and nodded.

“Come on, girl. Let’s get you to bed. You’re drunk as all fuck.” Jackie said, tugging Harper without waiting for a response.

“Kay.” Harper agreed.

Lyra, meanwhile, was leaning against the wall in the bedroom looking at the junior officers on the bed, completely oblivious to what was going on. They were still at least half clothed and making out sloppily while their drunken hands roamed around ineffectually. She was watching them as one might regard animals in a zoo, and with the technique and awareness they were exhibiting, she may as well have been watching a couple of animals.

Andrei saw the two women out and sealed the doors after them. It had been a long day, so his perfectly polished shoes came off right away. He glanced over at Lyra and immediately wondered what she was staring at. He walked over to her silently and placed a hand on her side.

Lyra didn’t pull away from his touch, but she also didn’t react to his touch in any of the ways she usually would. In fact, she didn’t acknowledge him at all, simply stood there while sipping her drink and watching the pair on the bed.

Andrei noticed he was being ignored and was immediately irritated by it. What had he done to prompt that treatment, he didn’t know. Instead, he looked past her and saw the young drunken crewmen making out.

“Gods alive..have they lost their minds?”

“Truthfully I’m just trying to figure out what they are enjoying about it.” Lyra replied, finally shifting her weight into Andrei’s slightly. “It’s like trying to watch two teenagers trying to figure out what goes where and they aren’t good at it.”

“It’s like watching two squirrels tussling over an acorn.” Andrei said, a smile starting on his lips. “We should show them how it’s done”

“Perhaps we should.” Lyra agreed and finished what was left in the half glass she had poured herself. Given what she had witnessed through the evening, however, that particular desire was quite nonexistent for her. It didn’t matter of course, and she always got into it eventually. “Though they are a bit in the way.”

“That problem will solve itself.” He said, his hand going to her arm. He kissed her cheek, seeing if his initiation would be enough to prompt her to get over whatever it was that was bothering her. He pressed his body against hers.

Lyra turned her head to him as he kissed her cheek. Her hand found his chest, and her lips found his tenderly. Who was dancing through her beloved’s head, she wondered, since his desire certainly hadn’t been triggered by her. “Let’s hope so for their sakes.”

Andrei pressed his lips to hers more aggressively than before, his hands going to her thighs as he lifted her up into his arms. Pushing into the room, he approached the bed while kissing her, and laid her down directly next to the other couple. Moving on top of her, his hand went to her waist.

Lyra allowed him to handle her without complaint or resistance, her lips met his, and as he lay her back she started pulling out his shirt from the tuck it had been in. The young drunk couple were still entirely too engrossed in each other to even notice what was going on next to them.

Andrei’s focus on her despite her misgivings. His interest was with her. His hands moved her dress down off her shoulders, exposing her beautiful breasts. His fingers explored to free her from the garment.

As Andrei pushed the shoulders of the dress down and the bejewelled fabric lower, he found her breasts simply covered by nude colored pasties which would have also offered some lift to women who needed it, but Lyra certainly did not need any help in that department. They’d been worn only to avoid any unfortunate wardrobe malfunctions. Her lips found Andrei’s neck over his collar and she began to kiss him there slowly, taking her time with each kiss as she tried to separate her annoyance away from her physical desire for him.

Andrei found the fastenings for her dress and worked them skillfully with his fingers as he returned her kiss after kiss. He was amazed the dolts they were with hadn’t noticed they weren’t alone. He watched them kissing awkwardly with eyes closed and smiled.

Lyra glanced over herself, then looked back up to Andrei. Her hand found his cheek and she pulled his attention back to herself. She had wanted to be rougher about it, but she controlled herself for the moment. She was, however, quite done sharing his attention for the evening and the sentiment showed in her dark eyes.

His lover was jealous and greedy like him. They were both likely fools for loving each other as they did. He didn’t care. He kissed her hard and then pulled the dress off of her as gently as he was ready to be. Once it was free, he pulled off his undershirt, revealing the powerful, scared torso beneath. His hands went to the clasp of his belt as he kissed her again.

It was interestingly enough the sound of metal that finally drew the young man’s attention, but he only opened his eyes and barely turned his head before his eyes fixated completely on Lyra’s breasts. The woman under him was attractive, a thin and petite blonde but lacking in notability of her assets, and he stared at the much larger caramel colored offering as if he were seeing the shape of a woman the first time.

Lyra noticed the young man’s eyes on her and turned to look at him, smirking in amusement.

Andrei’s hand was on her chin in an instant, turning her gaze back to him. If he couldn't look, neither could she. He pulled his pants and underwear off and grasped her breast possessively, giving it attention with his hands at first and then his mouth as well.

Lyra didn’t resist as he turned her head back toward him. It was fair play - not that he believed in that sort of thing unless it suited him. As he set to work on her breast, her eyes lidded slightly, though not before she noticed the man reaching out toward the unattended breast closer to him.

His girlfriend had finally realized the attention had been off of her, and she looked up at him then over at Lyra and Andrei. She seemed to realize what was happening much faster than her companion, and she started trying to push herself up from the bed. “Um-”

Andrei saw the hand moving toward Lyra and he gently pushed it back toward the other woman’s doing as much as to place the man’s hand directly onto her breast.

“Learn the difference between what’s yours and what’s mine.” He warned as he started to pull down Lyra’s panties.

“But…” He protested and just by the sound of his voice it was obvious he was completely plastered and had literally no idea what was happening outside of what his base instinct was communicating to him. He looked down at the pale breast under his hand and gave it a squeeze which made the blonde girl squeak in surprise, then he reached out toward Lyra again as if he were going to try and see if the sound could be replicated.

Lyra looked down again and couldn’t help but just laugh while she lifted her hips up for Andrei.

Andrei grasped his manhood and teased Lyra’s center with it, watching as the man clumsily touched her. That hand would have to go, obviously. But it would have to wait. For now, he decided to allow it as if she were being licked by a dog. He slid inside her, a slow moan escaping his lips as he stretched her tightness.

When she felt the man’s hand come into contact with her breast, Lyra’s amusement evaporated completely. Her hand came up and she grabbed his wrist forcefully, her strong grip pressed into him enough to make him yelp, and he immediately started to struggle. “Hey, let go.”

Her only response was a moan as she felt Andrei slide into her, but even that momentary distraction didn’t loosen her grip from the little cretin. The woman, smartly, quickly extracted herself from the bed and muttered a hurried “sorry” as she grabbed her clothes and holding them up to her bare chest retreated completely from Andrei’s quarters.

Andrei was as focused as a man going into battle, and the second he was inside his woman, the two others were completely irrelevant to him. He moved in her in long, agonizingly slow strokes as she held the man’s hand in place, his own hand replacing the man’s on her breast. His moan matched hers as he felt her wetness tremble around him.

The junior officer continued to struggle, his efforts becoming more desperate as Lyra’s grip strengthened as a direct result of Andrei’s efforts. Finally, his struggling became annoying, and while she could have easily brought him to control again in normal circumstances, it was quite impossible with her beloved buried between her legs. She released him, and her attention went fully to Andrei. Her arms wrapped around him and her intense eyes met his as her nails dug into his pale skin unforgivingly.

The other man totally forgotten, Andrei leaned into her intense embrace and hurried himself deep inside her, speeding up the pace of his lovemaking ferociously. There was a danger in his gaze and his movements, but he refrained from doing anything which might truly hurt her.

Lyra praised his efforts with her voice, but there was a roughness to it that wasn’t usually present in these moments even when their blood was running hot. She grabbed the back of Andrei’s neck, pulling him down closer to her ear as he moved inside of her. “Next time your little girlfriend pulls anything like that, I’m going to gouge out her eyes.”

Her voice was low, dangerous. She meant it.

Andrei could hardly have controlled what Harper was doing that evening. She’d gotten drunker than he’d ever seen her and had been completely out of her own control. She was very useful and had given them more help than they admitted without wanting anything in return but his affection. To him, it was a good deal. He found himself irritated by her response, though he didn’t really know why.

He started to move with the last bit of reserve potential he had, taking out the irritation on her body and pressing his hands against hers.

Lyra’s hands flexed against his and she could see the irritation in his expression. He’d always claimed to find her jealousy attractive, but apparently it wasn’t true in the case of “Harp” and that in turn irritated her. How many more would he put before the one he claimed to love? She turned her head away from him, not looking at him as he moved.

Andrei pushed his pace to the bounds of human limits, and the sounds he made matched the intensity of his efforts. He wanted her, and the idea she couldn’t see that was behind ridiculous to him. He knew something of jealousy, but Harper was nothing more than a tool. If he really wanted to, he could have her in an instant. He wanted Lyra.

“She’s so jealous of you.” He said through the strain of his motions. “Because she knows in her heart you’re the only one I want.”

Unlike his previous lifelong string of encounters, Andrei had found something unique about the woman below him that the others lacked. Her physicality allowed her to take Andrei in all of his levels, and he had yet to find anything that seemed to push her limits. There was no denying their excellent physical compatibility. She didn’t turn her head to Andrei when he spoke, but her dark eyes did shift to look up at him.

Wanted her, but how much? Lyra had rained hell down on the creatures that had hurt him, and they hadn’t even been together then. Andrei wouldn’t even keep his eyes from wandering the entire night to the women that would have loved to see her dead. She closed her eyes, her face suddenly tense, her fingers dug into his body, and then all that tension immediately left her as she let out a long, low moan.

Despite her obvious anger, he could feel the energy between them. He gritted his teeth as she dug her finger into his skin, bringing pain and anger with it. His fingers found her hair roughly and his teeth clamped down on her shoulder, though not hard enough to draw blood. Her tightness gave resistance to his girth, but he pressed on.

Lyra let out a slight cry of pain, though mostly startled pleasure as Andrei bit down on her shoulder and grabbed her by the hair. It seemed to redouble her pleasure, but also her own irritation. She unlatched one hand from his body and brought it up to his black mane of hair, grabbing onto him possessively as he was doing to her. They were either both going to be happy, or they were both going to be unhappy.

Andrei grunted, looking down at her with an animal gaze full of lust and frustration. He leaned close to her as he made love to her intensely, his breath heavy from the motion. His eyes matched hers, his expression both angry and commanding.

“Mine.” He said, his voice a growl. He felt himself starting to lose himself.

Lyra’s dark eyes were burning black, lustful and irritated. She didn’t wane at the expression in his eyes, and instead held his gaze meaningfully. Her fingers pulled his hair and she brought her face close to his.

“Mine.” She practically hissed, possessive and unyielding. She loved him, she wanted him. It made her angry.

Andrei moaned as he started to unload within her silken depths, his fingers tightening even more around her hair as he pushed himself deep enough that he used all the room that existed inside her. As he pulsed and surged, his body shook with the intensity of the moment and his lips found hers, passion and longing in them.

“I love you.” He hissed between fiery kisses.

For a moment, that fire and irritation remained, but as he spent himself in her it all seemed to melt away and left simply lust and passion behind. Her nails unhooked from him and instead she wrapped her toned arms around his body, holding him close as he remained inside of her, a sword perfectly nestled in the sheath made for it. Her lips found his neck and she began to kiss him there with passionate, possessive kisses until she finally made her way up to his ear.

“I love you too.” She whispered in a low, pleasure laden voice.

“Forget Harper. She’s a tool; a means to an end and I use her for our power. She means nothing to me.” Andrei said, his hips loving much slower now. “My world is between your beautiful thighs, Love. Never doubt that.”

His lips found hers again and he seemed to really mean what he said.

Lyra returned his kiss and her hand found his cheek, but even as she returned the gesture she found herself considering if she should try to make him understand her perspective. Historically though, that hadn’t gone well for her with him, so she decided to say nothing. He’d just dismiss her and that would upset her even more.

She broke their kiss and looked up into his eyes again. “She’s an idiot drunk.”

“It was embarrassing for her. She should learn to hold her liquor.” He said, agreeing and giving a smile. “Do you think Jackie really just dropped her off?”

“I don’t know if Jackie would have the stomach to go to the Lovarr and take the woman to her quarters.” Lyra pointed out. As she lay under him, her hands slid down his body until they found his rear end which she grabbed and started to move his hips with her leverage there, leading to a more grinding motion than anything else which she quite enjoyed the sensation of, but didn’t seem to be pushing for anything more than that.

“Besides, I imagine Jackie wants to go to some other parties.”

“You’re probably right.” Andrei said, moving his hips compliantly with her. He kissed her again, looking her in the eyes. “I can have a talk with her about her behavior tonight. It was uncalled for.”

For a moment, Lyra simply looked at him as if trying to judge if he would actually do that or not. It would be a blatant reminder to Harper that she wasn’t in Andrei’s eye anymore, and Lyra wasn’t so sure Andrei was ready to put his toys down. Still, she supposed she should at least allow him the chance to follow through on it. “That would be a good idea.”

They weren’t in the business of killing each other’s toys, and Andrei thought it best they didn’t start now. Corvin would thank them.

“I’ll speak to her tomorrow once she’s had a chance to sober up.” He said, his hand moving to her face gently.

“Alright, Darling.” Lyra agreed, turning her head to kiss his wrist and then leaned up to kiss his forehead gently, a far cry from the rather savage mood of a few moments ago.

They remained like that for another few minutes before getting out of bed, showering, and then returning to the main room to clean up. Lottie and Ren were called while they washed, so much of the job was already done when Andrei entered the livingroom in his black robe.

“Good evening, Master.” Lottie greeted Andrei respectfully when he walked out and then glanced toward the bedroom door. “Does Dom- Mistress need help with anything?”

“Good evening Lottie..Ren.” Andrei said, looking at both of them. “Commander Cassiel is just changing. She’ll be out soon. Did the two of you enjoy any celebrations so far?”

“Yes, Master. Mistress Petrova has been very kind.” Lottie smiled.

Lyra walked out from the bedroom in her own short, silky black robe, but she was carrying two small boxes wrapped in purple paper with her. “Lottie, Ren, come here.”

Ren approached next to Lottie, his eyes curious and thoughtful but his face a subservient mask.

“Yes, Mistress?” He asked, having learned to keep his eyes from wandering long ago.

When the two slaves stood before her, Lyra extended each one a wrapped box. Lyra wasn’t unkind to the slaves, but she certainly did not see them with the same eyes Andrei did. To her, they were more like pets or beasts of burden, useful and worth being good to, but at the end of the day lessers. Still, people could be fond of their animals.

“Here. A gift in honor of the celebrations.”

“Mistress..” Ren responded, his handsome face lighting up as he graciously accepted the box. “Thank you. You’re very kind.”

He looked at Lottie for a moment and they shared grins.

“Should we wait to open them until we’re off duty?”

Lottie seemed quite excited, looking up at Lyra with a shy, earnest gaze. With Andrei watching the exchange, he could recognize the signs of budding attachment from the young slave to the Terran beauty.

“You may open them here.” Lyra assented.

Lottie smiled and began to carefully pop the seams of the wrapping paper around the box. She wasn’t sure if Lyra had done these herself considering this would usually be something the slaves were asked to do, so she wanted to be very careful just in case. Once they both had them open, they could see through a small clear window in the boxes that inside were six brigadeiros decorated in three pairs for each of them.

“Wait until you return to your room to eat them though.”

They both offered their genuine, gentle thanks to Lyra. Giving gifts to slaves was fun because they were never entitled. Ren set his box and Lottie’s by the door so they wouldn’t leave them when they departed.

“Thank you, Domina.” Lottie spoke softly, blushing and looking down while Ren put the boxes aside.

“You’re welcome, Lottie. We’ll need you and Ren to see to the bed too.” Lyra said and walked over to Andrei, her hands finding his body and she leaned into him.

“Yes, Domina.”

As the two slaves happily moved into the bedroom to clean up the results of their lovemaking, Andrei’s arms pulled her closer.

“Domina? How delightfully royal.” He said with a smile. It was typical for slaves of the military to refer to everyone as master rather than having them distinguish between those of noble rank and commoners. Terran institutions tended to be merit-based even if their society was decidedly hierarchical. It was one of the strange contradictions of their people. “That’s against regulations, isn’t it?”

Lyra let out a contented sigh as he pulled her closer and her own arms slid around his waist. She loved being near him. “You can thank Giuseppe and some of my other whiny cousins that it isn’t anymore. The regulations were modified to allow it.”

She turned her head and kissed his shoulder over the robe. “She knows to call me Mistress in a larger setting still, but I grew up with Domina and Dominus and I’ve always preferred it.”

“Very well. You royals make your demands.” He said, amused. He kissed her gently. “Shall we spend the rest of our evening planning the destruction of the Vidiians?”

“You know just what I like.” She smiled and kissed him again. “Let’s do just that, my Darling.”

END