I will thrill and quiver in being the vessel that brings him peace. I will massage him inside my heat, clearing his mind and mine to all but Meaningful Purpose. And should I feel pleasure build within me, I will thank him for it, in each thrust, and I will protect what he inserts inside me.
I do as I'm told. I visit the Silk Dining Room while the others are treated for aches. I bathe in hot water and minerals until my body feels loose, and I climb into bed early.
Well before last-light.
With my veil on, I curl on my side, the sheets shuffling over my naked body.
I try to welcome slumber.
But my mind rolls.
I don't understand relationships. Mine have been staged, dutiful, and procedural. I know nothing of human emotions besides the ones I feel inside me. And I definitely don't understand the actions or afflictions of a Xin De king.
But I understand anger.
And he was furious.
He threatened Master Cairo…
For me.
Does he care about me?
I touch my lips below the hem of the veil, feeling his phantom warmth. He kissed me. He kissed me, and I could feel how much he cared, how angry and unsure, possessive and annoyed he was. I felt it all. All those truths.
From one kiss.
I know I assumed—another shameful trait—but bloody sheets left Iris’, Blossom’s, and Daisy's rooms, so... That leaves Ana. And…
Shit.
Lord Darwin.
Does she carry his heir?
I want to ask her if her lord visited last night, but I’m afraid that if I do, she will start to suspect…
And suspicion is not a virtue.
What becomes of her now?
Or the king is lying.
I just don't think he is.
The kiss didn't lie.
Somewhere in the midst of one thought and another, slumber wraps me in a tight, warm hold.
Not until I feel air whispering across my legs do I stir. Sheets glide down my body. The bed rocks me from side to side, and I know he is prowling over me.
I don’t move, but I open my eyes, blinking my lashes against the smooth black veil. The seam of the silken material caresses my upper lip, my mouth mostly free and exposed to the air.
My heart races immediately.
“Aster.” My name purrs across my ear as he hovers over me. “Are you wet for me, little Silk Girl? Are your smooth, white thighs quivering for me? Are you afraid of what I’m going to do to you?”
My mouth parts, the thick weight of his words pressing on my chest, squeezing air from my lungs. Shit. His palm moves up to grip my throat, rolling me to my spine within the cave of his large body.
“Fuck,” he utters, strained. His breath blows through my hair and his rough, warm cheek touches mine through the silk veil. “You smell so fucking good.”
I start to tremble.
He glides his hand up from my shin, gripping and massaging a shearing path to my knee before pushing my thigh to the mattress. Spreading me.
His touch is firm—authoritarian—yet gentle and reverent. As if he knows how fragile I am in his arms, but he can work the pieces of me so they do not shatter.
A strong, large hand spans out over my core, pressing his palm to my weeping lips. “So wet for me. Your defiant mind may misbehave, but your body is so very obedient to me.”
He moves down my torso.
Mouths my throat.
Then, licks across my chest. Treats each nipple to his lips until the aching buds stiffen, forcing whimpers from me. He hums, his exhale gushing heat along my flesh.
I gasp and arch into him.
One arm braces him just above me.
The other traces from the back of my knee, over my hip to the side of my breast, and down again, scorching a path of warmth and yearning.
Then he shifts.
And it’s time.
My eyes widen behind the silk veil when he positions himself. My senses heighten, touch, sound. Everything—him.
With his lips to my forehead, his muscular arm slides up my spine until he cups my head and cradles my torso, controlling me against him.
His hard, long length is a pulsing rod that bruises my core and up my trembling stomach.
“My king,” I plea, terrified.
With no room to move, my arms curled between us and my fingers by my chin, I can only flatten my hands to his chest. I am utterly vulnerable to him, more now, in this position than ever before.
“I’m going to get lost in the feel of your tight, wet pussy, little creature. Use your claws on me. If I hurt you, make sure I know what you’re feeling. Bring me back to you.”
I curl my fingers into the hard, warm plane of his carved muscles to show him that I can, even with his pressure—everywhere. I shudder and try to lift into him, grinding, already desperate for the pleasure I know he can bring.
It dawns on me then, as I become aware of the entire mass of his length, measuring it in my mind in comparison to me… And I swallow. It’s too big, but that is why we breed Xin De with Common now. To fix our physical differences.
“Is it possible that you’re too big?” I blurt out.
His hips demand mine to open wider. “You are soaking wet for me; you will let me in. And I will restrain myself. Just relax for me, sweet creature.”
Fingers touch inside my folds, swept up and down, spreading my natural lubricant around. With a grunt, he is fisting his length and swirling the swollen head up and down my entrance, stirring me into a frenzy of panic and anguish.
“Need this.” The words beat against my forehead as he presses the crown through my folds. “Easy.” He isn’t talking to me. “Fuck.”
My body sinks, swallowed up by the mattress.
When he beats against the sensitive seal inside me, I’m hit with a bolt of warning. A whimper escapes my throat, but he doesn’t stop working his way against the resistance inside me.
Not for a second.
The sensation burns and burns. Then he stabs through me, folding me inward like a new rosebud. Agony heats my abdomen. Spasms twist in my thighs. Turns me inside out.
Crying out, I dig my nails into his chest.
“Aster.” He whispers apologies and praise while he thrusts deeper, possessing my body entirely. “It’ll be over soon, little Silk Girl. You’re perfect. Untouched. Let me in.”
I let his words overrun my senses. “Yes, my king.”
Holding me with dominance, preventing me from recoiling, he stretches me open, one thick inch at a time, until I can no longer fit anymore. No longer breathe, think, or feel anything but the weight and pressure of him absolutely everywhere.
“There you go. You have taken as much of me as you can. I’m so proud of my sweet creature.”
He rolls against me, his length sliding but never completely withdrawing, never allowing me a full breath, consuming my every cell with him.
His rhythmic strokes are powerful, painful—overwhelming. Each one wrenches a long, moan through my lips. And I’m lost in them.
“My king,” I whimper, needing reassurance.
“Yes, sweet thing. I’m here. I’m going to fuck you, over and over, until you’re pregnant.” His words spur him on further. “Until my sons and daughters grow inside your womb. Swell your belly. This is my pussy, my womb, my damn body. Fuck.” Heat from his growl caresses my forehead. “Remember your claws, little creature.”
He speeds up, pumping, his mouth mauling and licking at my forehead. I feel the beast inside him breaking loose, threatening to tear me apart with passion.