"Are you deaf?" Leo's voice was low, sharp, and dangerous.
"I told you to kiss me."
Excuse me?
Vivienne blinked, "Maybe you should calm down....."
Leo's brows pulled together, his mood shifting like a storm front rolling in.
"So even you think you can defy me now?"
Ah. Vivienne got it then.
Bad day, and he'd come knocking to take it out on her.
Classic.
"I..."She opened her mouth, hesitated deliberately — then, with all the calm grace of someone deeply done with this nonsense, she stepped forward and smoothly ---- pushed him back against the wall.
She was too tired to hold him up !! lean against the damn wall YOURSELF!!
When she didn't immediately jump to obey, Leo's eyes darkened, frustration flashing sharp behind his lashes. "Did you forget who you're talking to—"
Oh, he was embarrassed now. Angry at her and at himself.
Before he could finish whatever half-baked threat was coming, Vivienne cut in, her voice smooth, calm — "Don't let a bad mood make you do something you'll regret."
The lecture in her words was too obvious. As expected, Leo's expression soured, clearly irritated and ready to snap back — to remind Vivienne exactly where she stood.
But before he could, Vivienne dropped her gaze, lips pressing together in a soft, pale pout, looking every bit like someone quietly suffering through the tantrum of a troublesome lover. "I do like you, But if you're only doing this because you're angry, because you need something to hit back at—"
"Then go ahead. Use force .... But don't insult my feelings or my dignity."
Yeah, right.
Please don't hit me, please don't hit me.
"You think I'm insulting your dignity?" Leo repeated her words, his gaze lingering lazily on her expression, his thoughts briefly snagging on that little mention of "liking" him.
Vivienne, meanwhile, was mentally chanting:
No, darling, you're throwing meat buns at a rabid dog — except, surprise, that meat's got a big, bad tiger brother watching from the shadows.
And I'm the poor mutt in the middle?? But hey, dogs are man's best friend...
But Leo didn't need her reply. He nodded to himself, dazed and clearly more than a little drunk. 'That's right, I'm insulting you.'"
"You know what a fragile little Sentinel like you is good for in Polaris?" Leo's voice dripped with disdain. "Nothing but a plaything for the powerful."
He lifted his hand, fingertips brushing lightly against her cheek — soft, delicate.
"So go ahead," he murmured. "Do your best to please me."
"Your fate's in my hands now."
Vivienne suddenly lifted her face. Her features remained calm, almost blank, but her eyes — they burned, sharp and accusing, like she was silently calling Leo out for being unreasonable.
She'd had enough.
And he could feel it —the heat rolling off her, not from embarrassment, but from frustration.
Then, without warning, she leaned in, closing the distance until her lips brushed against his.
Leo froze, breath catching.
She paused there, waiting, and then gently, deliberately,
pecked his lips.
It was a kiss, barely more than a brush — light, quick, and utterly devoid of heat. Like kids playing house, faces pressed together, only this time, it was lips.
Leo: …
Leo's pupils flickered, a faint flush creeping up the tips of his ears.
Vivienne noticed instantly — of course she did. She filed it away smugly in the back of her mind.
So that's it.
All bark, no bite.
A textbook brat with a sharp tongue.
But before she could savor the win, Leo's hand shot out, fingers curling around her arm. His voice dropped, rough around the edges. "You really think that's enough to get rid of me?"
Vivienne's eyes flicked to his face — expression blank, but those flushed ears gave him away.
Oh, sweetheart,
you're new at this game,
but you talk like you've got a PhD in seduction.
Let's see how far you can bluff.
Leo was about to say something else, still trying to pin her down with words "Vivienne, I mmph —"
....
Their mouths tangled, breath and taste bleeding together.
Somehow, at some point, Leo's collar had come undone, his shirt falling open at the throat.
Vivienne's fingers slid up, her nails tracing the bare skin of his neck, barely there, light enough to shiver down his spine.
A soft, muffled sound escaped him — "Mm… ah…" His Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
Their fingers intertwined, fabric brushing against fabric.
Vivienne didn't know how long the kiss lasted. At some point, her hand slid lower…
The scent in the air grew sharper — a clean, citrus tang. It was Leo's Guide pheromone.
Fresh, sharp — almost enough to clear her head.
Stop !!
Vivienne pulled back abruptly, breath unsteady, tongue hastily retreating as her mind snapped clear.
Feelings could be communicated.
Love could be maked.
But she can't make the "love" with the little brother of Polaris's pirate captain !!
That was a death sentence !!
If things really went too far… She wasn't sure she'd make it out alive.
Especially with Jasper Vaughn — walking, breathing, high-functioning Sentinel supremacy. If she touched his baby brother, he'd probably make sure she disappeared without a trace.
...
The door slammed shut behind Leo. He stood there, swaying slightly,
expression dazed, lips redder than usual.
He was an adult. Single.
It wasn't strange to get curious, to kiss a pretty Sentinel when the opportunity arose…
Perfectly normal....
Nothing to see here !
That's what he told himself.
Except— his jaw tightened, a flicker of embarrassment and frustration flashing in his eyes.
Vivienne she, she...
Why the hell was she so good at this?
For the next two days, Vivienne settled into what could only be described as a bizarre little "black room" routine.
By day, she stayed locked in her quarters, waiting for food to be delivered like some pampered prisoner.
That trip to the dining hall? Never her idea. It had been Leo's whim — the young master had gotten bored of playing food delivery boy after exactly one day and decided to drag her out like it was no big deal.
When she'd tried to decline, he'd nearly thrown a tantrum right then and there.....
Now, thanks to the captain's latest order banning prisoners from wandering, Leo was reluctantly back to bringing her meals again.
Her terminal had been confiscated long ago. All she had in the room were stacks of books. She'd flipped through so many pages she was starting to go cross-eyed — because with a face like hers, people always assumed she was the well-read, docile type. Leo probably thought he was being thoughtful.
As for the young master himself…
It was painfully obvious Leo was a first-timer in all this. Every night, without fail, he'd show up at her door.
Vivienne would play along — half-pushing, half-pulling — because Leo wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what he was doing --
Rebellion.
Testing limits.
If she pushed too hard, he'd only dig his heels in, and she'd end up truly isolated on this ship.
Right now, Leo was her best bet at survival. So she humored him.
Reluctantly, of course. But she humored him.
Compared to her own past experience, Leo was embarrassingly easy to read. A single lick against his throat, and he'd flush, stumble, fall apart.
She never crossed the line, though — just like she'd never done with her ex, Callum. Vivienne knew better than anyone that once you pushed too far, there'd be no way to walk it back.
God. The border crossing was coming up fast. Was she really about to end up dumped in Crescent Bay and left to scrape by?
opportunity knocked — literally.
Another poor civilian freighter had wandered right into Polaris's trap, three hours behind schedule and unlucky enough to cross paths with the Tianshu.
And of course, Polaris pirates followed the oldest rule in the book: If you see a ship, you rob the ship.
Locked up in her room, Vivienne quietly offered a moment of silence for the poor souls on the other ship.
Then she poured herself a glass of whiskey, planning to sip and strategize — because right now, Leo was the only lifeline she had.
She sipped slowly, mind spinning through every possible future. Leo might have been her best shot at staying alive, but he wasn't the one holding the leash. The kid's fate wasn't really in his hands either.
The longer she thought about it, the more bitter she felt. This ship was a cage. If she ever made it back to Polaris's home turf… it'd be a cage she'd never escape.
Why was her life cursed like this?
Was this what they called the price of beauty?
Pretty faces never lived easy.
While she was in the middle of mentally cursing her fate, there was a knock at her door. Leo's voice came through. "Come with me."
Vivienne blinked.
What now? Did this mean the dining hall ban was lifted? But it wasn't even mealtime.
Leo's explanation was short and blunt. "Polaris doesn't feed freeloaders. You're coming to help us collect payment."
Vivienne: "…"
Collect payment?
You mean, rob people.