Vakar

 The hallways of the Draconian embassy smelled like power and pheromones—and Ra had zero time for either.

She moved like smoke, sleek in her black ops gear, her braid slicing through the air like a whip. The target was simple: extract the Terran intel and bounce.

Simple, of course, until it wasn’t.

“Well, well, well... if it isn’t Terra’s favorite mouthy emissary.”

Ra froze mid-step. That voice? Like honey dripping off a loaded weapon.

Vakar slithered from the shadows—six-foot-five of iridescent scales, platinum horns, and abs that needed their own airspace. The Draconian Ambassador, poster boy for seductive treason, smirked.

“You again,” Ra muttered, fingers twitching near her pulseblade. “Didn’t I block you on every dimension?”

“Darling,” he drawled, voice a molten purr. “You can block frequencies. Not fantasies.”

Ra rolled her eyes so hard, it probably caused a timequake.

“I came for the files, not your flex pics.”

Vakar stepped closer, aura pulsing like a nightclub from hell. “You come for more than you admit. Humans always do.”

She smirked. “You talk a lot for someone who got beat by a girl with a dental implant last time.”

That did it. His grin sharpened, heat flashing behind those reptilian eyes.

“You wound me.”

“Keep talking and I’ll aim lower.”

He lunged. She parried. The embassy lit up in chaos as Ra vaulted, kicked, and cursed every horny scale on his body. Vakar wasn’t just aggressive—he was extra. Every punch had flair, every block came with flirt.

“Is this foreplay or combat?” she snarled, ducking a claw swipe.

“Both,” he moaned. “Gods, you move like war and sin.”

“You smell like rejection and cologne samples.”

He pinned her briefly, claw grazing her waist. “Join me. Be my Queen. Rule beside me… or beneath me.”

“Hard pass,” Ra spat. “I’m allergic to narcissists and dragon-daddy complexes.”

BLAM.

A plasma bolt seared past her shoulder—and into Vakar’s chest. He staggered back, stunned.

“You’re welcome,” Era said, lowering her rifle as she emerged from the shadows.

Ra gasped, gripping her side. “You shot him!”

“And yet you’re still bleeding. Ingrate.”

Ra winced as Era wrapped an arm around her waist, half-carrying her toward the exit. Alarms blared.

“He was about to monologue again,” Era muttered. “I did us both a favor.”

---

Back on the ship, Ra hissed as Era disinfected the gash on her waist.

“You need to stop letting toxic men near your vital organs,” Era said dryly.

“I wasn’t exactly inviting him over for tea and trauma bonding.”

“He wanted you.”

Ra snorted. “They all do. Doesn’t mean I want them back.”

Era raised an elegant brow. “Really? What about the Vampire Heartthrob?”

“Tyler’s complicated.”

“And the wolf with commitment issues?”

“Erik’s emotionally constipated.”

“And the AI who’s basically developing a soul because of you?”

“Sovereign is... different. Like emotional Sudoku.”

Era clicked her tongue. “You need a spreadsheet, not a love life.”

Ra groaned. “I know, I know. But have you seen them?”

“I’ve also seen you bleed for all three.”

Silence fell. The hum of the ship was the only sound as Era patched her up with the efficiency of someone who’d seen too much.

Ra stared at the ceiling. “He said I moved like war and sin.”

“Vakar also thinks his tail is a political weapon.”

“He’s not wrong.”

Era chuckled. “Girl, your life is a soap opera on steroids. You need a vacation.”

Ra groaned again. “I need a damn therapist with celestial clearance.”

Era grinned. “Until then, you’ve got me.”

Ra smiled despite herself, pain ebbing. “Thanks for shooting the dragon thirst trap.”

“Anytime. Next time, I aim for the tail.”