KAEL'S POV
I had just stepped out of the steaming bath, water droplets still clinging to my skin, trailing down the sharp lines of my chest and stomach. The scent of sandalwood and crushed night petals lingered faintly in the air, mixing with the soft hum of magic that always coated the walls of my private chambers.
The palace maids flitted around me like overexcited fairies, their hands fussing with the thick dark robe they insisted on draping around my shoulders. As usual, they took their time, far more touchy than necessary—palms gliding over muscles they pretended to "dust off" or "dry."
I didn't bother reacting.
"Thank you," I said curtly.
They knew it was a dismissal.
Still, they lingered at the door, whispering behind painted fans, giggling as though they knew something I didn't. Their laughter faded down the hall as I moved toward the heavy carved doors of my bedroom, water still trailing from my damp hair onto the stone floor.
I reached for the curtain first—the velvet black one lined with protective sigils—and pushed it aside, stepping into the dim, candlelit warmth of my bedchamber.
And there she was.
Virelle.
Laid out like an offering on my bed.
Her robe—barely hanging on by a knot—slipped off one shoulder, revealing the smooth length of her thigh and the teasing curve of her hip. Her skin shimmered faintly in the candlelight, as though it had been dusted with magic-infused powder, probably on purpose. Her hair was spread out like a spill of ink over my dark furs, and she looked up at me with hooded, expectant eyes.
A familiar sight.
A beautiful one, admittedly.
But not one I ever longed for. Never one I invited. It always felt arranged. Expected. Forced.
I let out a breath, tired already.
"Not today, Virelle," I said evenly, stepping toward the bed and letting the robe fall open slightly as I lowered myself beside her.
I turned away from her, arm resting over my brow, closing my eyes to signal disinterest.
"You always say that," she murmured, rolling onto her side, her voice sultry and pouty at the same time. Her fingers brushed over my chest—trailing slowly down the slick lines left behind by water. "And yet… here I am."
I didn't reply. I didn't push her away either. She took that as permission.
Her fingers wandered lower, brushing against the knot of my robe. With a smooth flick, she loosened it, baring more of my skin. Her nails grazed the top of my thigh.
"You look stressed," she said, her tone a whisper, her breath warm against my neck. "Let me help you unwind."
I felt her shift beside me, her gaze dropping with intention.
I opened my eyes and looked down at her, trying not to let my irritation show.
"I really am not in the mood, Virelle."
I kept my voice even, controlled.
But she wasn't listening.
She never really listened.
Without a word, she moved—fluid and graceful—and positioned herself between my legs, the furs rustling beneath her. Her lips parted as she leaned down.
Soft. Wet. Warm.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"Virelle," I groaned, a warning hidden in my tone.
Her lips wrapped around me slowly, deliberately, like she had all the time in the world.
Her tongue was skilled—dangerously so—tracing every ridge with reverence, like she knew my body better than I did. I hissed through my teeth, jaw clenching as my fingers curled into the furs beneath me. My robe slipped fully off my shoulders, forgotten, leaving me bare to her touch and breath and heat.
Her head bobbed with purpose, gradually taking me deeper.
I let my head fall back against the pillow, a groan slipping from my throat as the tension I'd been holding onto for hours began to unravel. I hadn't wanted this. Hadn't planned for it. But my body—traitorous as always—responded anyway, twitching against her tongue, growing harder as her mouth enveloped me.
I glanced down.
Her dark lashes fluttered, eyes half-lidded, but she was watching me—studying the lines of my face like they were her reward.
She moaned around me, a soft, vibrating sound that made my hips jerk.
"Virelle…" I warned again, voice already breaking.
But she didn't stop. If anything, she deepened, letting me slide further into her throat as her hands held tightly around my thighs, anchoring herself.
The heat of her mouth was maddening.
My breath hitched.
She pulled back slowly, saliva clinging in glistening strings before she took me again, deeper this time. Her throat tightened, swallowing around me, and a ragged curse tore from my lips. I gritted my teeth, eyes fluttering shut again as her rhythm quickened.
Wet. Loud. Sloppy.
My hands gripped the sheets first—but it wasn't enough. The building pressure in my abdomen demanded more—demanded control.
So I sat up, growling low in my throat, and fisted both hands in her dark curls.
She gasped, just barely, but didn't fight it.
I shoved my hips forward.
Her throat welcomed me with a practiced ease that only fueled the fire curling in my belly. I began thrusting, slowly at first—shallow strokes that made her choke softly, eyes watering. Her fingers dug into my thighs, clinging tightly as I guided her head.
The sound of her mouth taking me in over and over again echoed obscenely in the room, mixing with my sharp breaths and the rustling of the sheets. I fucked into her mouth with growing hunger, forcing myself deeper each time, until her nose pressed flush against my skin and I could feel her swallowing around me.
It was addicting.
The tight grip of her throat, the filthy wet sounds, the twitching tension threatening to break me apart—
She looked up at me, eyes glassy and cheeks flushed. Saliva coated her chin, glistening in the candlelight. Her lips were swollen and red, stretched tight around me as I used her, harder now.
The growl that tore from my throat was feral.
I could feel it building—white heat low in my spine, curling through my gut like wildfire. Her hands dug deeper into my skin, and her head bobbed with every snap of my hips. She moaned again around me, messy and eager, and that sound alone nearly sent me over the edge.
I thrust deeper—again, and again—until I was buried fully in her throat, jaw clenched, hips trembling.
And then I came.
My body jerked as the tension shattered, release slamming into me with a force I hadn't braced for. My fingers tightened in her hair as I groaned deep from my chest, filling her mouth, watching her swallow every drop with greedy devotion.
She didn't stop.
Even as I sagged back, chest rising and falling rapidly, she licked and sucked at me gently—eagerly—as though trying to draw out every last bit.
But just as she began to slide up my body, hands pushing at my chest as she straddled me, her mouth trailing kisses over my stomach—
I felt it.
A sharp, unfamiliar sensation in my chest.