A Spiral of Luminescence
F okk me, Kisan thought as she slipped away. She was freakin’ enticing.
From that day, his visits to CyVoda became part of his routine.
After every other shift, the Rider returned to the spa.
He told himself it was for the massages, the cleansing, the calming effect of the pools. However, he knew better.
Each session he swam, she appeared.
She rarely spoke and gave him his privacy, which he appreciated.
Yet every time she stroked past him with a grace that held him captive, Kisan’s chest tightened.
Her presence stirred something in him, a longing he couldn’t name but couldn’t ignore.
She became a balm for his restless thoughts, her fluid movements providing a calm he craved.
He began seeking out her performances more frequently, drawn by the haunting beauty of her dances.
The way she commanded the water reminded him of the precision and power he wielded with his kinetic abilities, though hers carried an elegance he never could.
She was a force of nature. Yet, there was a vulnerability to her that pulled at him.
One evening, as he floated in the pool, she appeared again.
This time, she didn’t remain silent or stay away. She moved closer, her eyes bright with an unreadable emotion.
‘You’re around often, Rider,’ she murmured, her teasing lilt carrying over the slight lap of the waves.
Kisan tilted his head. ‘I could say the same about you.’
A smile touched her lips. ‘I work here.’
‘Still, you always find your way into here when I am present.’
Her beam widened, but she didn’t respond.
Instead, she swirled her fingers in the water, sending a spiral of bioluminescence toward him. It broke against his chest, a subtle glow spreading over his skin before fading.
‘Why do you come here, Rider?’ she asked, her voice quieter.
He hesitated. ‘To forget.’
She nodded, her expression softening. ‘We all have something we’d rather forget.’
Their eyes met, and the distance between them seemed to dissolve momentarily.
Her hand brushed the surface of the lake.
‘You sense a kinetic aura, a power that emanates from you.’
A trace of amusement tugged at the corner of his lips. ‘Is that right? Maybe it’s just the lagoon moving around us.’
Her laughter was soft, like the first notes of a song. ‘ Nada . It’s you. How you hold yourself like every movement could shatter or save the world.’
His smirk deepened though he tried to mask the flicker of vulnerability her words awakened. ‘Sounds poetic. Are you always this theatrical, or do I evoke it in you?’
Samira dipped her hand back into the water, trailing her fingers through the glow. ‘Oh, I can be dramatic when I want to be. But you—you’ve got an edge to you. Something dangerous, but -.’
She paused, her gaze lingering on him, ‘- weary. Like you’re carrying the whole galaxy and sinking under its load.’
Kisan leaned back, the warm fluid cradling him. ‘You always this observant, or do I bring that out in you?’ he growled.
She flicked her fingers slowly, sending another spiral of glowing water toward him. It brushed his chest and dispersed in a shimmer.
Her wet hair cascaded over her shoulder, a dark, rippling curtain catching the slight glow of the lake.
Kisan’s emerald eyes narrowed. ‘You’re not wrong about the edge,’ he admitted, his voice quieter now, almost reluctant. ‘However, it’s not as poetic as you’re making it sound. Most days, I’m just trying not to fall off it.’
Her smile softened, the teasing moment giving way to something gentler. ‘That’s honest. I like that.’
‘Don’t get used to it,’ he said, though his words had no bite.
Samira straightened, her movements graceful as she floated closer. The scent of salt and something floral and citrus clung to her skin.
She paused, the glow of the lake catching in the curve of her cheek.
Her voice mellowed again, taking on a curious tone. ‘So, what happens if you do fall off?’
Kisan’s jaw tightened, a shadow passing over his face. He glanced away, staring at the rippling surface of the water. ‘I hit bottom and either remain fallen, or I rise.’
Her gaze didn’t waver. ‘You’ve gotten up every time?’
His lips pressed into a line before he gave a slight nod. ‘So far.’
The silence stretched between them for a moment, heavy with unspoken truths.
‘You’re stronger than you think, Kisan,’ Samira said. ‘I sense it. In your presence, in the way you carry yourself. It’s not just kinetic energy. It’s will.’
He gazed at her then, his aqua eyes meeting hers, their intensity softened by something he couldn’t quite name. ‘You talk a lot for someone who rarely speaks her truth.’
She raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at her lips. ‘Maybe I don’t need to. I think you see it already.’
He didn’t respond, but something in her gaze stirred him, a quiet challenge he couldn’t ignore. The air between them arced with emotion, charged, their shared space in the pool suddenly much smaller.
‘You’re an interesting woman, Samira,’ he growled, his intonation hoarse.
‘You’re a fascinating man, Kisan,’ she replied, tilting her head, her expression unreadable but not unkind. ‘One I can’t quite figure out.’
‘ Sawa ,’ he rasped, leaning back again. ‘Let’s keep it that way.’
She laughed, the sound soft and warm, echoing in the cavern. ‘Except you don’t want that. You want someone to know and accept you at your core.’
He huffed. ‘I’d say you were speaking shit, but I’d be wrong. I’m a fan of your artistry. Otherwise, I wouldn’t give you or your musings the fokkin ’ time of day.’
‘Twas blunt, crude, yet honest, from his heart.
‘It sounds like you’d be open to more of them,’ she whispered.
He raised a brow. ‘Perhaps.’
She tilted her head.
‘If you want to see more of me, book me,’ she murmured. ‘Raza allows private shows if a patron asks for it.’
‘Does he now?’ Kisan drawled.
She inclined her head. ‘He does.’
He narrowed his eyes on her, his soul lurching, his cock hardening under the water. ‘I’ll think about it.’
‘You do that.’
With a final glance, she swirled her hand, sending one last ripple toward him before floating away.
She rose at the water’s edge, revealing her sinuous body clad in a shimmering suit.
Droplets fell off her limbs as she strolled away.
Kisan’s gaze lingered on her, his chest tightening with an unfamiliar sensation mingling with the memory of her laughter.
With a suck of his teeth, he headed for the bank, pulled himself from the lake, and prowled after her.
The luminescent corridors of CyVoda glowed with soft, ethereal light, casting shifting patterns on the smooth, dark walls.
Samira’s bare feet made no sound, her silhouette vanishing beyond the curve of the passageway.
Kisan’s heart pounded with need, heating him.
The coolness of the pool still clung to his skin, but inside, he burned.
‘Samira,’ he called after the disappearing woman, his voice burred and hoarse with his desired intent.
He quickened his steps, the quiet echo of his unshod soles betraying his urgency.
She slowed but didn’t rotate, her profile catching the subtle blue luminosity.
‘Slow down,’ he growled. ‘Turn around.’
She hesitated, her head tilting as if weighing his command.
With an inhale that he tagged, she turned.
Her dark eyes met his, open and unguarded, a question lingering in their depths.
Kisan’s breath hitched, his resolve hardening even as his chest tightened.
In three long strides, he was before her.
The light from the corridor played over her face, illuminating her damp skin and the gentle curve of her lips.
He didn’t speak, didn’t explain. Instead, his hands rose, massive and warm, framing her face with a gentleness that belied the storm within him.
He slid his caress to her shoulders and pulled her into a nearby alcove, the world narrowing to just the two of them.
The space was shadowed and intimate, a dim illumination diffusing its edges.
Kisan’s green eyes bore into hers, his gaze searching, reverent as if memorizing every detail of her face.
The contour of her cheek, the arch of her brows, the way her breath hitched under his scrutiny—it all unraveled him.
For a long moment, he did nothing, just stared at her as though grounding himself, his thumbs stroking her cheek.
He raised a brow and asked a question.
She met his gaze, took an inhale, and nodded.
He bent his head, brushing his lips on hers with aching tenderness.
The kiss deepened by degrees.
He growled, savoring her warmth, the mild salt of the water still lingering on her mouth.
She responded in kind, her hands sliding up to thread through his hair, tugging down on him as her body pushed on his.
The world fell away. Her scent, fresh and earthy with a hint of citrus, surrounded him, filling his senses.
His cock thickened and hardened, a column of scorching heat between them.
She didn’t shy away from his desire.
Instead, she clung tighter, grinding her hips over his groin, the sliver of material doing nothing to hide his burgeoning desire.
He groaned as her fingers wove through his dark tresses, pulling him tighter, her nails grazing his scalp and sending shivers down his spine.
His hands slid over her face, spine, and hips before gripping her waist, his thumbs brushing the bare skin beneath her top.
Their kiss grew more fervent, breaths mingling, hearts racing.
The luminescence of the corridor appeared distant, but Kisan didn’t require light to feel the fire coursing between them.
His lips left hers only to trail down her jaw, pressing against the pulse at her throat, before he dragged himself away, gasping.
‘Samira,’ he murmured, his voice thick, almost guttural.
He said nothing else, the growl of her name alone betraying the extent of his desire, frustration, reverence, and the unspoken fears lingering in the spaces separating them.
She gazed up at him, her breathing uneven, her mouth swollen from their kiss. Her fingers remained in his hair for a moment longer. Then she let them fall, her fingers grazing his chest.
‘I have to get to work,’ she whispered, though her words sounded more like an apology than a statement.
Kisan’s jaw clenched as he searched her face, his hands slipping from her waist with reluctance.
His heart pounded as she stepped back.
She gave him a small, almost shy smile before turning and walking away, hips swaying, her scant covering clinging to her undulating curves.
The soft patter of her footsteps faded, leaving him alone in the shadowed alcove. He leaned against the wall, his head tipping back as he exhaled.
His chest tightened, his pulse thrumming almost in agony in his ears.
Kisan fought the urge to race after her, his hands crossed over his heaving chest.
Even so, he stayed rooted, his heart aching as she disappeared around the curve of the corridor.
For the first time in years, despite the throbbing of his cock, he felt something close to lightness.