Chapter 10

CERION

As I waited in my office, I couldn’t help but imagine her reaction to seeing me like this. ~Will she be disgusted? Frightened? Or maybe~…~excited~?

Within minutes, the guards brought her in. Her hair was damp from her bath, and she smelled like fresh roses.

The thin nightgown clung deliciously to her curves, leaving little to the imagination. I couldn’t help but admire her, my eyes tracing every inch of her body.

She opened her mouth to speak, but I quickly covered it with my hand. “Not today, Princess. You’ll listen instead,” I said, pulling her close.

I grabbed her wrist, guiding her toward my desk with a gentle but firm touch. She stumbled forward, her body bending over the smooth wooden surface as she peered back at me, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and curiosity.

She squirmed against the desk, trying to break free, but her movements only made the sight more enticing. Her nightgown, already barely covering her lower half, rode up further, revealing more of her soft skin.

~God, she’s beautiful~, I thought, my eyes drinking in every inch of her. The thin fabric of her nightgown had inched up to her hips, exposing her curves in a way that made my heart race.

I could feel my control slipping, my desire threatening to take over. I wanted to explore every inch of her, to taste her, to feel her.

My mind raced with possibilities, imagining how it would feel to be with her, to make her mine. I wanted to hear her moan my name, to feel her body respond to my touch.

I craved her submission as much as I admired her defiance. I wanted to see the fire in her eyes as she fought against her own desires, even as her body betrayed her.

I longed to witness all her contradictions, to embrace every part of her—the stubborn and the yielding, the fierce and the tender. Deep down, I knew she wanted me too, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

Reality crashed back into focus as my eyes met hers. She was still bent over the desk, her gaze locked on mine, a mixture of emotions swirling in their depths.

“Let me go!” she cried, wriggling against my thigh. Her movement brought her dangerously close to a part of me that was already responding to her proximity.

“I’m not done with you, Princess,” I murmured, my hand hovering near her hip. The urge to touch her was almost overwhelming.

“Don’t touch me!” she screamed, redoubling her efforts to pull away. Her struggles only made her more alluring, and I had to fight to maintain my composure.

“I’m giving you your punishment for your harsh words. I am, after all, the King of Ruin,” I said, watching her eyes widen as my hand moved closer. I couldn’t help but smirk at her reaction.

With one swift motion, I brought my hand down on her skin with a resounding slap. She winced, her body jerking in response to the sudden contact.

“You act like you despise me, Princess, but your body says otherwise,” I said, my eyes meeting hers once again. I could see the conflict raging within her.

She stared back at me, her eyes wide and vulnerable. For a moment, I thought she had no fight left in her—until I heard the words that left her lips. “If you’re going to rape me, just do it already!” Her voice was flat, her eyes suddenly empty.

Those words hit me like a punch to the gut. I immediately released my grip on her, backing away as if I’d been burned. ~Rape her~? The very thought made me sick.

“I’m not going to rape you, Princess,” I said, my voice softer than before. I watched as she remained bent over the desk, seemingly frozen in place.

After what felt like an eternity, she straightened up, her gaze falling to her feet. “May I leave, then?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes, Princess,” I muttered, sinking into the leather chair behind me. I watched as she hurried out of the room, the door closing softly behind her.

I knew the last thing I needed to do was get drunk, but after that debacle it was the only thing I wanted to do. I needed to drink in lieu of what I really should be doing: apologizing.

KIRA

My heart raced as I made my way to our bedroom. It was the only place I could call my own, but even here, I couldn’t escape his suffocating presence. I stepped out onto the balcony, looking for some way to escape.

The Dani castle looked just like the painting in the book. A stone castle surrounded by ancient oaks, green hillsides, rivers, and wildflowers. I recalled the moment of our arrival—the castle was basking in the early morning sunlight. The tallest tower was outlined by the sun. It was so high that I thought you must be able to see for miles from its window.

It had seemed beautiful on the outside, but now that I was forced to share this space with the king, it seemed more like a prison. His eyes constantly roamed over my body, his arrogant voice echoed in my ears, and he paraded around half-naked like he owned the place—which, I guess, he technically did.

~I hate when he’s here, but I also hate when he’s not~. It was a feeling I couldn’t wrap my head around, something I’d never experienced before.

How could someone make you loathe them and want them at the same time? I’d never been with a man before, let alone been forced to live in a room with one as his queen.

When he was gone, I hated him for it. I hated how inconsiderate he was, how he had Verion tell me he’d left instead of telling me himself.

I hated how the day he forced me to be his queen, he also decided to go to war. I guessed I shouldn’t expect anything less from the man they called the “Dragon of Ruin.”

~And still, he exhilarates me~. Even after his selfish behavior, even after he’d chastised and spanked me, I’d felt a thrill I’d never known before.

Part of me had wanted him to keep going, to keep spanking me, to keep looking at me the way he did. And I could tell he felt it too—that he wanted me.

But that feeling quickly faded as terror took its place. The memory of being whipped came rushing back, and I was terrified he’d rape me, seeing the scarlet consume his eyes.

I’d accepted it, sadly, just like I accepted the whippings. Rape would soon be my reality, I figured, just as whippings once were.

But then I saw his eyes. The scarlet had faded, replaced by a gentle calm as he processed my words.

His voice echoed in my mind: “I’m not going to rape you, Princess.” The way he’d said it, the gentleness in his eyes—he meant it.

I guess there was some good left in the Dragon of Ruin. He had layers, just like the shades of fire that flowed through his eyes.

Reality crashed back in, reminding me why I was here. The illusion of goodness in a man I barely knew, who had proven time and time again to be cruel, disappeared.

I was forced to be his queen by his own hand, even when he knew I wanted nothing to do with him. I laid my head on the pillow, cursing myself for my thoughts, when I heard the door handle jiggle.

I squeezed my eyes shut, figuring that pretending to sleep was my best option. I heard his heavy footsteps on the wooden floorboard, felt the bed shift under his weight, and smelled the red wine on his breath as he spoke.

“I know you’re up, Princess.” His words came out a bit slurred. I kept my eyes tightly shut, lying as still as I could.

“Princess…” he continued, his hand drifting to caress the side of my head. I flinched at his touch, instinctively. ~Do I flinch because I am repulsed by his touch or because I covet it?~

Either way, my cover was blown. I sat up in the bed and met his drunken gaze.

He was already raking his eyes over my body, lust gathering in his gaze as they shifted to a golden color. His shades of fire appeared as he greedily took in my figure, his hot breath inches from my face, his eyes cementing themselves across my body, his chiseled frame bent near mine.

My breath hitched, with anticipation—but anticipation of what? I didn’t want him to touch me, to look at me like that, so why was I admiring him?

I placed my feet on the wooden floor, separating myself from him as his eyes lightened with the realization of his mistake. “Princess, do you really think that little of me?” he questioned.

He towered over me, his chiseled features framed by thick brown hair and a full beard. I couldn’t help but feel small in his presence, like a mouse cornered by a lion.

“I wouldn’t rape you,” he said, his breath hot against my skin. The warmth of it sent an involuntary shiver through my body.

“You forced me to be your queen. How do I know you won’t force yourself on me?” I challenged, watching his eyes spark with interest.

“Princess, I may be a lot of things, but I’d never force a woman to have sex with me. You’ll come to me when you’re ready, and trust me, you’ll enjoy it,” he said with a smirk, his finger grazing the side of my face.

I scoffed, trying to hide the effect he had on me. “You’re the king. Of course women would be willing to sleep with you!”

My eyes dropped to the floor, unable to hold his intense gaze. ~Am I terrified of him or attracted to him?~ I couldn’t tell if my body was betraying me.

He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “What’s your reason, then?”

“What?” I asked, confused by his question.

“I can smell you from here,” he said, inhaling deeply.

My anger flared at his cryptic remarks. “What can you smell?”

In one swift move, he closed the distance between us. His finger trailed down, brushing against my most intimate area.

I gasped at the sudden contact, my body betraying me once again. He brought his fingers to his nose, inhaling deeply.

“You. Your wetness, Princess. Your innocence is obvious. Just wait until you let me touch you properly. You’ll see what real pleasure is.”

“Don’t!” I yelled, my cheeks burning with embarrassment and something else I didn’t want to name.

A sly smile spread across his rugged face. “Don’t? Your body seems to disagree. Are you sure you don’t want me to give you a release, Princess?”

I shook my head, feeling sick to my stomach. ~How can I be attracted to the man who forced me to be his queen?~

Pulling the blankets tightly around me, I slipped back into bed. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to erase his image from my mind.

“Your loss, Princess,” he said, and I felt the bed dip under his weight.