CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 98: POOLSIDE

Marceline’s eyes stayed locked on Zaeryn, as he lay on the bed and she sat next to him.

Her hand traced his jaw, with a mix of a lover’s caress and an admiration of an artisan. "Zae, ’valuable’ doesn’t mean ’safe.’ It means ’useful.’ It means Queens, powerful, ancient, and ruthless Queens, might not see a charming man. They’ll see a strategic asset.

The ultimate breeding stock. A weapon they must either control or destroy."

She leaned in, her voice dropping to that conspiratorial purr. "You must become powerful enough to dictate your own terms before they decide to chain you to a throne."

She gave him one last, deep kiss that tasted of promises and politics, "Now, off you go,"

___

Zaeryn found himself back in the quiet sanctuary of his own room, the door sealed.

The exhaustion he expected after such intense sessions with Marceline never came. Instead, the Eros Engine hummed, satisfied and vibrant.

He felt electric.

The memory of the night, and the shower just an hour ago, was still sharp and vivid.

Deciding to change his clothes, he threw on loose pants and a shirt before padding downstairs.

He found Aeris already camped out on the massive living room couch, feet kicked up on the low table, looking like she owned the place.

As a Warlady who had officially retired before she even began, this was what Aeris mostly did. She hadn’t gotten a job yet, since she didn’t really need to, so her current mission involved a deep analysis of holo-dramas, and she seemed entirely absorbed in the screen.

Her lounge shorts barely covered her thighs, hugging curves that could start conflicts, never mind end them. Stunning, as always. But that was just Tuesday.

"What trash are you watching now?" Zaeryn asked.

"It’s not trash. It’s Royal Reckoning," Aeris muttered, eyes glued to the screen. "Rewatching last night’s episode. Marcie thinks I missed something, the Chancellor is the killer, but I know it’s Lady Vespera."

"You’re still on that?" Zaeryn chuckled, slumping onto the sofa and, out of familiar habit, resting his head directly in her lap. "It’s always the obvious one. The Chancellor looks guilty, so she probably is."

"Boring." Aeris scoffed, her fingers immediately finding his hair, scratching his scalp in that absent-minded way that always threatened to put him to sleep. "You have no appreciation for political subterfuge. Vespera is hiding something."

"Or perhaps," a third voice, rich and sultry, cut in from the kitchen archway, "you’re both debating fictional politics before you’ve even had coffee?"

Marceline stood there, a vision wrapped in a silk outfit that clung to every magnificent curve. She looked completely, devastatingly rested.

Zaeryn’s mind flashed back to the sex they had that night, and then to the shower. Yeah. Rested.

He sat up, as Aeris stretched beside him.

"Hey, Macie." Zaeryn’s eyes shamelessly roamed her form. He’d had the complete tour, twice, and the view still left him breathless.

"Breakfast is almost ready," Marceline announced, turning back toward the kitchen.

"You’re cooking?" Aeris asked excitedly, swinging her legs off the table. "Thank the Goddess. I love Mom’s food, but you’re actually the best cook, may you never leave, so we can enjoy your cooking everyday."

"Thank you," Marceline replied over her shoulder. "But don’t get used to it. I despise cooking."

They followed her into the kitchen, where the air was warm with the aroma of synth-bacon and freshly toasted bread. Ravena and Arya were already seated at the table, deep in their own quiet conversation.

They looked to be getting along. Good, Zaeryn was happy to see that. Ravena wast the overly jealous type initially, but it seemed like she had worked on it now, seeing as she was getting along with Arya, even though it was clear that Arya was interested in him.

As they settled, Aeris glanced at Arya with a curious smile. "Hey, where’s your shadow? Is she too good for breakfast?"

Arya offered a polite, professional smile. "Mireille’s not hungry."

"What about Ysmeine?" Zaeryn asked, noting the other woman’s absence.

"She’s busy with something," Marceline replied smoothly, pouring synth coffee.

A few minutes passed as breakfast went on.

"So, Macie," Aeris began, "how long are you blessing us with your presence this time? Or is this just a quick visit?"

Marceline’s smoky green eyes danced with mischief as she looked past Aeris to meet Zaeryn’s gaze."Oh, I’m planning to stay for a good long while, darling," she purred.

She paused, her smile turning wicked as she held Zaeryn’s stare. "Besides, after the... welcome... I received last night and this morning, how could I possibly leave? Zaeryn has just been exceptionally good at making me feel welcome. The hospitality was just... invigorating."

Zaeryn cleared his throat, a hot flush creeping up his neck. He knew what she was talking about, he just didn’t expect her to speak of it so freely In front of everyone.

Aeris, looking between the two. She caught the heat in Marceline’s gaze and the guilty flush on Zaeryn’s face.

She let out an exaggerated sigh and rolled her eyes. ’Wow, they already had sex? I feel like I’ll be the last one he will have sex with.’

While she knew Zaeryn was attracted to her, Aeris felt frustrated that his interest in her seemed to have cooled down. He was so busy with everyone else, forgetting that she’d been around for him the longest. ’Seems, like I’ll have to step up my game.’ she thought.

___

After the lively breakfast, Zaeryn felt energized, the Eros Engine humming, satisfied and vibrant beneath his skin. The house was settled into a comfortable quiet, and with the morning free since he didn’t have to go to school today, he decided to relax, heading out onto the patio toward the hydro-therapy pool.

He stepped onto the sleek decking, but the space wasn’t empty. Near the far edge of the glowing water, Mireille and Kayla stood close together, deep in a quiet, serious conversation. Whatever they were talking about, Zaeryn couldn’t hear them.

But it was clear, Kayla had just gotten out of the pool as she was dressed in a sleek, high-cut black one-piece that clung to her like a second skin.

Zaeryn paused, frowning slightly. It was jarring to see them together. He already knew Mireille felt this guard duty was beneath her, and Kayla, who despised him, seemed to be the only one who agreed with her. Seeing his antagonist and his bodyguard finding common ground was a variable he didn’t like.

Their conversation stopped the moment he jumped into the warm water, the splash echoing in the quiet air. Both Warladies turned their attention to him.

"Mireille," Zaeryn greeted, nodding toward his guard as he floated back against the pool’s edge.

Mireille, ever professional, dipped her chin in acknowledgment. "Zaeryn."

He pointedly ignored Kayla, turning his gaze toward the distant city skyline as if she didn’t exist.

After a beat of tense silence, Kayla let out an audible scoff and deliberately took a seat in one of the nearby lounge chairs, turning her gaze toward the garden—a silent, dismissive snub of her own. Mireille, seemingly caught between her charge and the elite Warlady she respected, also sat down nearby.

For a minute, the only sound was the pool’s filtration system. Then, Mireille leaned forward slightly, resuming their previous conversation and shifting the topic purely to professional matters.

Mireille leaned forward slightly, her frustration evident in her clipped tone. "I was scheduled for frontline deployment before... this assignment. What’s the reality of the Vorthak engagement now? The reports we get at the Citadel feel sanitized."

Kayla was silent for a moment, listening to Zaeryn splashing lightly in the pool. She glanced at him with clear annoyance before focusing fully on Mireille, respecting the question from a fellow elite warrior.

"Sanitized?" Kayla echoed. "It’s not combat; it’s pest control on a cosmic scale. They’re relentless. Forget tactics; it’s just a meat grinder. They don’t think, they just destroy. You kill one wave, and another takes its place, tearing

"You were on the frontlines until yesterday, correct?" Mireille asked, her voice carrying a professional curiosity. "What’s it really like out there? Are they adapting as fast as the data suggests?"

Kayla responded. "The data doesn’t cover the chaos," she said flatly. "They’re evolving faster than our tactics. We put down a swarm using standard energy patterns, and the next wave has already developed resistance to that frequency. They aren’t just beasts; they’re.... Coordinated."

’Pyralis weapons.’ Zaeryn thought internally.

Mireille’s posture stiffened, her professional interest overriding her frustration. "Coordinated adaptation. That implies a centralized intelligence. A hive mind."

"Whatever it is, it learns," Kayla stated flatly. Her cold gaze drifted across the patio to the pool, where Zaeryn floated, pointedly ignoring them. Her voice dropped, thick with contempt.

"That’s the real war, Agent. A relentless, evolving enemy that we are barely holding at the border."

She pushed herself out of the lounge chair, her body coiled with restless energy. "And here you are, an elite Warladies, reduced to babysitting the Matriarchy’s future pet. It’s pathetic."

The water in the pool splashed lightly as Zaeryn pushed off the wall, floating onto his back. He’d been pointedly ignoring her, but that last jab was too loud to pretend he hadn’t heard.