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Sawoot bites her lip. Even though we’re alone, she leans forward, like she’s about to tell me a secret.

“She said they were, like, over afootlong.”

My jaw drops. That rumor matches the outline of Aelon’s dick I saw, straining the material of his pants – and the hard firmness of Vinicus’s dick, prodding me in the stomach as I lay across his lap.

“Woah, okay – fuckthat.” Or, rather,don’tfuck it. “That settles it. No way I’m doing anything with Aelon. My last boyfriend had six inches, andthathurt if he stuck it in too quick.”

Sawoot laughs. “Oh, it gets better, she says. Aurelians are like,madefor fucking. My friend said their cocks just constantly drip this precum that’s, like, the universe’s best lube. She said it hurts at first – but that it hurtsgood. She said after she left the harem, she just never bothered to sleep with another human guy again. Those Aurelians ruined human men for her, she says.”

I should be thinking of how to get off this ship, but now I’m imagining those Aurelians in bed with me. I knew they were big from the way Vinicus and Aelon’s cocks had felt as they were pressed up against me – but putting it into standard measurements, like feet and inches, makes it all too real.

Sawoot shrugs. “That’s only the half of it, too. It’s not just their size and skill, my friend said. They’re passionate in a way humans aren’t.”

Sawoot sighs.

“My friend – she said she loved them. They broke her heart when they didn’t want anything more than sex from her, and they had no interest in committing to a single woman unless she was their Fated Mate.”

My best friend shrugs.

“Listen, Tasha – if all goes well, we’ll be off this ship tomorrow. So, if you want to do something, you have to do ittonight.”

“I’mnotdoing anything,” I tell her. “I was just curious.”

Sawoot grins, and I can tell she doesn’t believe me. “You’re the captain, Captain. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the big day. This escape plan feels like it’s been thrown together at the last minute, but only because it has. It’s solid though – I’m convinced of that.

With a little luck, we’ll be off this ship and this ordeal will be a bad memory.

“Goodnight, Sawoot.”

“Nighty-night.”

I leave her behind. The next time I’ll see Sawoot, we’ll be running for our lives together – just like we’ve done countless times aboard the Wayward Scythe.

I press the button next to the door and open it.

Sawoot’s guardian angels are standing stock still outside. It looks as if Garrick and his two battle-brothers haven’t moved an inch since I first entered these chambers.

“Thank you, Garrick,” I say to the leader of the triad. The other two never told me their names, but don’t seem offended that I didn’t ask. There’s something weirdly symbiotic about the interaction of an Aurelian triad. You can kind of tell which one is the leader of a triad by this aura of leadership to him. One of the three always feel just a little bit more in control than the others. Garrick has it, albeit to a lesser extent than the swaggering, cocky Aelon.

Garrick nods, silent and stoic. I wish Captain Aelon could be silent like him. Aelon is undeniably gorgeous – but every time he opens his mouth, I just want to slap him.

I press my hand against the button to open the set of doors across the hallway. The room inside is the mirror image of Sawoot’s. The huge bed is going to swallow me up.

It’s good that this room is a mirror image of the one opposite, since it means Theme was right about the layout of the ship. Even though I could tell at first glance he wasn’t the bravest of men, I knew there was a reason I’d picked Theme to join my crew. Now, he’s going to be our key off this ship.

I shut the door behind me, sealing Garrick and his two battle brothers in the corridor outside.

As I step into the room, I rub my aching backside. Whatever lotion or ointment Aelon rubbed onto my ass, it’s helped with the heat of that vicious spanking – but my butt still aches relentlessly.

It’s especially bad against the roughness of my combat pants – the ones that I’d pulled back on after Aelon tended to me. Now I’m alone, I gratefully pull my pants off, stripping to my underwear. I breathe a deep sigh of relief. My ass still hurts, but it’s better than it was.

Then, suddenly, there’s a knock at the door.

I have the feeling Captain Aelon would just barge in without asking – so whoever is outside, they clearly have more respect than the captain of The Instigator.