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Story: The Siren

The entire time, Vladimir never took his eyes off Lucienne. She felt her cheeks flaming but pretended not to notice his gaze. She knew he desperately wanted to reignite their smoldering passion now that they had secured the Eye of Time.

Lucienne, however, was more reserved. One of them needed to keep a cool head. The ban on kissing separated them like a deep, cold river. She’d have to be the one to hold back, but for how long? How long before her control slipped again?

High heels clacking, Ziyi joined them, eyeing Vladimir’s forehead. Lucienne was stitching him up with a pen-sized laser, which also sterilized the wound. “There’s no need to rush,” Vladimir said as Lucienne wrapped it up and put an antiseptic bandage on him.

“Enjoy being pampered, prince?” Ziyi asked. “Now you’ll have another nice souvenir to brag about.”

“That was a cruel thing to say, Ziyi,” Lucienne said. Both his scars reminded her how she had wounded him.

“Ziyi just can’t understand the burden of beauty,” Vladimir said, his eyes staying on Lucienne’s face.

Ziyi hissed. “I have standards, and few men can measure up.” Then she turned to Lucienne, showing a small line of redness on her pinkie. “I had a paper cut.”

Vladimir looked incredulous. “You came all the way here to disturb us just to show Lucia a paper cut?”

“Paper cuts hurt.” Lucienne snatched a Band-Aid from the medic kit, peeled the cover, and wrapped it around Ziyi’s pinkie. “Now you’re as good as new.”

“Thanks.” Ziyi flashed Vladimir a gloating smile and handed Lucienne a piece of paper. “I copied the last data before betas went down.”

Lucienne took the paper. Much of it was covered with scratches of combination numbers, alien characters, and a formula. They were beyond valuable. Kian and Vladimir would not let her test the Eye again without some extreme precautions. The rest of the data was unsalvageable. The Eye of Time’s message was clear—it would not cooperate.

Lucienne folded the paper and inserted it in the pocket of her jeans. “Well done, Ziyi.” She hugged the girl.

“I just can’t disappoint you.” Ziyi beamed. “No matter how hard I try.”

“You’ve failed again to achieve a disappointment,” said Lucienne fondly. “Now go get Dragonfly back online.”

“You got it,” Ziyi said, springing away.

A sudden silence developed between Lucienne and Vladimir. He reached to tuck a lock of stray hair behind her ear. His fingertips casually caressed her skin, sending her a warm, lavish feeling. She tried to hold still and not shiver. The heat had never truly faded between them. It was only repressed. Once the wild fire was reignited, it would burn them and everything in their path to ashes.

Tentatively, Lucienne peeked into Vladimir’s hazel eyes. The fire, full of desire and tenderness, had rekindled in him, but at its core, she spotted vulnerability. Lucienne parted her lips. If she stoked the flames too much, she’d end up incinerated; but if she camped by the fire for too long, it would go out. Either way, she stood a big chance of losing him. She needed to find the path to Eterne now. “You’re good to go, Vladimir.” She put on one of her polite smiles. “Thanks for saving me again.” She turned to check on her lab scientists.

“My pleasure, m’ lady,” Vladimir said.

Lucienne could feel his frustrated gaze, restless and unwavering, searing after her.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Can I go with you to the lost city, please?” Ziyi batted her eyelashes. “I haven’t had a real vacation for the entire year since I’ve followed you to Sphinxes. You don’t want to see your prodigy burn out, do you? You have to let me have some fun.”

Lucienne looked at the pleading girl. She was one head shorter than her even in her stilettos. “Fine. Anything to make you stop batting your lashes.”

Ziyi blinked once more for good measure.

In Hell Gate, as her crew set up tent labs, computers, and other devices to the networks in Sphinxes, Lucienne ordered Vladimir, Cam the giant, and Ziyi to accompany her to town.

Winter had swept over the hidden world overnight, claiming the reign it had been denied for centuries. Its biting wind sent fallen blossoms chasing each other in mockery. Only their lingering fragrance reminded the visitors of Nirvana’s glory days.

Lucienne believed either the removal of the Eye of Time or whoever had initiated it was responsible for this change. Nirvana, after all, was a place inside time.

“A climate-controlled town faded like this?” Ziyi cried, rolling a large trunk behind her. “This is sad. So sad.”

The group headed toward the golden temple down streets lined by barren trees. They passed houses and shops, all closed.The houses, more concepts than actual homes, were a strange combination of whimsical architecture and old Victorian era. Their uniqueness was lost in irony since every house looked almost identical, with the exception of varying shades of blues and grays.

“Where are we?” Ziyi asked. “I’ve never seen a place like this.”

“The natives have given us a ghost town to spite us,” Vladimir said.