I wish I could say I had my first kiss with someone like Lazarus or Lucian. Sadly, that was not the case when I turned sixteen. My sixteenth birthday had ended with a birthday bash with half of Pluto as guests.

I didn't know most of the people who had come and had gotten severely intoxicated when I realised Lazarus was on a mission and would therefore not be joining.

Lucian stood in a corner the entire night, brooding when other boys vied for my attention. He barely drank and we'd gotten into a huge fight because I couldn't seem to stop drinking or flirting.

He'd disappeared at some point and someone I had been dancing with had leaned in and stolen something I'd been saving for Lazarus for years.

The next few days were spent in weeping regret. It was the worst birthday I'd ever had and I was determined to never make the same mistake again.

My seventeenth birthday was spent with General Lyra and the Sympathizers, infiltrating a terrorist group on Spica. Wiping them out and restoring temporary peace to the empire felt like redemption after how horribly the previous birthday had gone.

This year however, I find myself terribly free for my upcoming eighteenth birthday. No scheduled missions, no excursions with the generals, even our trainings have become rather lax.

It has begun to worry me.

The generals laugh and clink their glasses together. A group of friends and foes, the line between hatred and love so blurred I can never really tell if they genuinely like each other or if this is some twisted co-dependency because we're all so isolated from the public.

We've flown out to the cluster of planets famous for their sea food, trout and shellfish with flesh so soft, so nutritious, it is said a mouthful could restore youth for years.

The crystal dome located at the centre of The Isles of Sea Glass shines above us as our attendees flood the table with dishes of food. Crustaceans that have been cooked in rich cream, cracked open, ready for devouring. Grilled and deep fried fish, all cut and severed into delicate pieces.

Seaweed of various breeds and delicacies spread through out the table. I personally have always liked the red ones so I pile my plate with them and take a bite.

Lucian sits across from me and smiles when he notices this.

"So predictable," He mutters.

I flick a piece of seaweed his way and he puts his hands up to block his face, laughing in the process.

It feels nice to see him laugh, I've noticed how he rarely does so nowadays. He always looks so tired, like he hardly ever sleeps. The dark circles under his eyes tonight are more pronounced than ever but he's so undeniably handsome that he somehow makes them look good.

"You should have some of this," I put some melatonin rich fish sticks on to his plate. I've heard these are particularly good for peace and rest.

Lucian mutters a thank you and is quick to gobble down a few. "I don't need your sympathy, though. I'm fine."

I sigh. He's always so snappy when we comment about him looking tired and haggard. 

"Leave him be, Luna. He clearly doesn't appreciate it when a beautiful lady cares." Lazarus picks up a crustacean's shell and breaks it into two before sucking into the flesh. I can hear his tongue moving against the inside of the shell, his eyes never leaving mine.

My thighs clench together and I bite my lip, feeling my face go warm. He always does this, ever since I turned sixteen and he started noticing me as a woman instead of a girl.

All those long heated stares and innuendos. He's been driving me mad for years.

He grins, satisfied with my reaction but Lucian notices this too. He frowns at me, looking annoyed and a rush of embarrassment makes my skin flush.

I quickly clear my throat and focus on cutting into the mighty scales of the hunter fish in front of me.

"Let me help you." Both Lazarus and Lucian stand up to offer and the entire table looks at us.

General Lyra is the first to speak. "Such gentlemen we have here."

"Lazarus, a gentleman? The boy doesn't know the meaning of the word." General Aldric says, admonishing his son like he usually does.

Lazarus's mother, General Xia is quick to agree and I immediately turn to him, sure enough his face darkens.

He ignores them, cutting out a large piece and dumping it on to my plate.

"He's been improving, though. Less violence during his missions, right?" Lucian's father, General Mondric asks. General Mondric and General Adric have been comrades for years. It is a friendship that has always burned my father up because he could never seem to fit into that equation.

I notice General Grievous eye their camaraderie with blatant jealousy.

Everyone turns to General Lyra, the one who has overseen our trainings the most. She only nods stiffly, earning a bark of laughter from General Aldric.

"See I told you. He's unfit to lead. I knew that from the time he was born. Nearly tore out my wife's womb." He places a protective hand over Lazarus's mother's shoulder and I'm almost too afraid to look at Lazarus.

This always happens. Every single time we meet. His parents can't go a day without putting him down in front of the rest of us.

Lazarus stabs a piece of seaweed so hard, I half expect the plate to split into two pieces. "Yes, I am the monster child who nearly killed my mother at childbirth. I'm sure they must all be bored with this story by now."

His voice is so low, it sends a chill down my spine.

"Nonsense. I'll say what I want to say, you of all things have no right to speak after how your last mission went." General Aldric slurs and I see him reach for his seventh drink.

Lucian's father tries to stop him but he pushes his hand away.

"Twenty civilians killed, we have twenty reports to account for all because you are as reckless as you are useless. Sometimes I wonder if we are even related." General Aldric is on a roll today and everyone's in terse silence, unsure if they should step in.

The dome we currently sit in is twenty feet underwater. Clear crystal separates us from the giant fish and sea creatures currently going about their way in the vast ocean around us. Just one crack, one bullet and we'd all be dead.

I find myself thinking about this when I see Lazarus's hand on his gun.

"Come now, General Aldric. We've all made mistakes. It's part of growing up." General Lyra says.

"Easy for you to say, Lyra. Compared to mine, your son is a dream. Lucian negotiated that treaty and got us another ally. We didn't have to risk our soldiers in yet another war. That is the kind of leader Pluto needs, not some blood thirsty animal who lacks control. What is the difference between Lazarus and the fish on the table? Nothing. They both sleep, eat and kill for a living. All without using their brains."

Lazarus stands up abruptly and wipes his mouth. "Usually I enjoy all your compliments but tonight I'll be excusing myself."

"How dare you? Sit down boy!" General Aldric raises his voice but Lazarus is deadly calm as he takes out his laser gun.

We were all scanned before coming in here, I don't even know how he managed to sneak one in past the sensors.

All of us stare at him in alarm as he smiles at his father. He puts his gun in the air and aims it at the ceiling above.

"Do you know how long it would take for all of us to drop dead if I shot through the glass dome above?" He asks rhetorically.

"The ceiling's reinforced." General Mondric answers but his eyes flit to Lucian's face in alarm.

Lazarus chuckles, enjoying our discomfort more than anything. "Then why do you think they take our guns before we're allowed in? Look up there."

He points at a spot where the refraction of sunlight through water has formed a blinding orange dot on the top left of the dome's surface. Eight pairs of eyes look up from his finger to the point he is gesturing at.

"A pressure point at the thinnest part of the entire ceiling." Lazarus says and everyone's too afraid to speak. "One shot and the pressure in this chamber will crush us. I'd give us all at least ten minutes before our lungs collapse and we suffocate to death."

"You'd only be proving your father's point." General Xia finally breaks the silence, her voice shaky.

"Does it even matter?" Lazarus laughs but it is filled with so much anger that I want to reach out for him.

He finally turns to me, noticing the concern on my face and like a flip switching, his expression changes.

He tucks his gun back into his pocket and is immediately surrounded by officers who were standing guard outside.

"Consider yourselves lucky Luna is here." His eyes never leave mine as he is dragged away, soon to be reprimanded for threatening the rest of us.

Something heats up from within and I find myself running after him, my silver skirt swishing between my legs.

I finally catch up to them and watch as they lead him into his ship. His parent's guards stand outside and I rush past them.

I hear the faint thrumming of the engine being fired up but Lazarus is surrounded by all the generals guards. He can't leave even if he wanted to.

"Lazarus," I breathe out in relief and he leans against the wall, watching me.

"Can we have a moment?" I ask the rest and they let me lead him into a tiny chamber, while they stand guard outside.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Luna V?" Lazarus asks sarcastically, his face etched into that classic smirk that has made countless girls weak in the knees. I know I'm finding it hard to focus when he's looking at me like that as well.

"What was that?" I say, my voice coming out shaky and hollow.

He has that effect on me. He's the only person on this planet who doesn't succumb to my charms. Usually it's so easy, with men, with women. They all see me as this beautiful untouchable thing they must protect or serve.

But not him. He always looks like he can't decide if he wants to throttle me or push me against the wall and have his way with me.

I lose control when I'm around him and it's a scary but oddly addictive feeling.

"What was what?" He crosses his strong arms over his chest and takes a step back, resting against the chamber walls.

I make air quotes and imitate him. "Consider yourselves lucky Luna is here."

Lazarus smiles and I feel myself go weak in the knees.

"I wouldn't think too much about it, if I were you."

My heart sinks, no it plummets into my stomach and a heaviness settles there, so consuming that it makes me want to cry. Maybe his parents are right. Maybe death is all he's capable of.

"Oh," I murmur, turning around to leave.

I step towards the door but he reaches out and tugs me back against him. His arms snake around my waist and feel his nose touch my ear. The scent of him, that soft breezy smell that reminds me of the ocean fills my nostrils and I suddenly feel weak.

He's never held me this way. It's always only ever been flirty words but he's never touched me, never pressed my body against his like this.

I feel his soft lips against the nape of my neck and he inhales softly, humming against my skin. I literally feel like I'm melting against him.

"Luna. You must know how I feel about you by now." His arms tighten around my waist, pressing me further against him.

I feel how hard he is for me and it makes my core throb with need.

"I've wanted you for years." He murmurs, his lips kissing my skin lightly and it's like he's reading my thoughts aloud.

He turns me around slowly and I stare into his eyes. So green, so blue, like the ocean that currently surround us. Lazarus places a palm over the nape of my neck, fingers stretching into my hair. His lips are parted as he stares at mine and her tugs me gently towards him.

It feels like I'm in a simulation, acting out a dream I've had since I was fourteen. I kiss him slowly but then he takes charge like I knew he would and suddenly I am lost, drowning in my desires for him.

Our hands roam each others bodies as Lazarus's tongue invades my mouth. I can't think, my brain can't seem to formulate a coherent thought. All I know is that this is the best kiss I've ever had in my life.

Someone bangs on the door outside and we quickly pull apart, both of us breathless.

"My parents must be here." Lazarus says, reaching for me. He runs a thumb over my wrist and it's strangely more intimate that the kiss we shared. I've never seen him do this with anyone else.

"Lazarus, get out here!" General Aldric shouts from outside. He must be in the control room.

Lazarus rolls his eyes making me laugh and then kisses the side of my head. "I'll see you soon."

He leaves the room and I have to sit down because my entire body is shaking. I can't believe that that actually happened.