Page 19 of His Dark Delights

He surged forward and caught my mouth again. Kissing me with near bruising intensity, he groaned against my lips. Then he caught my skirts, hitching them higher and bunching them around my waist. He used his larger frame to urge me back, forcing my behind onto the edge of the desk.

The glossy wooden surface met my bare thighs, and cool air kissed my soaked underwear. A shiver rolled through me as Ren peppered my neck and chest with his lips. As he descended my body, sinking lower, I arched my head back and closed my eyes.

Fabric rustled, and a belt clinked loose. Anticipation thrilled through me, and I sucked in a breath. Yet the moment of joining never came.

I peeked open an eye to investigate, flinching right as Ren’s mouth met my core. He waited for nothing, delving his tongue between my folds and instantly targeting my clit. Inflamed bliss rocked through my taut lower stomach, and an unbidden moan flitted through my lips.

Ren bowed over with his head buried between my thighs, one hand hooked behind a knee, holding my legs apart. His other hand fisted around his cock, pumping his length to the same rhythm as his flicking tongue.

“Fuck, you taste so good. Even your sweat tastes like sugar. You always smell like a garden in bloom and your cum is like honeysuckles on my tongue.” A masculine groan rumbled through him before he dove in for more.

The force of sensation surging through my belly sent me reeling. I fell onto the desk, back arching and hips tilting to meet the sweet glide of his tongue. Mindlessly, one of my hands found its way into his hair, nails scraping over his scalp and twisting in the silken raven’s feather locks.

There was an abyss within the core of my being, empty and dark. Ren brought the light with the skill of his mouth, blinding and hot—impossibly hot. It burned through my blood and my bones, enough to ignite the very essence of my soul.

“Gods-fuck, Ren. I’m going to come!” I screamed. Lewd, shrill noises escaped me as he tongue-fucked me faster, spurred on by my words.

The taut cords in my center pulled, stretching further like an archer readying to set loose an arrow. All the threads of my visceral being unraveled when the arrow shot free, sailing for the heavens. Glorious ecstasy surged through me, followed by waves of golden bliss that settled into my muscles.

The Butcher gave me no respite, no moment to bask in the glow of my climax. A pitiful mewl tumbled free from me as he fisted the back of my hair and jerked me onto my side at the edge of the desk.

Ren’s cock twitched in my face, inches from my parted, panting mouth. He jerked himself in one hand while holding tight to my hair, keeping me frozen in place with the other. My mouth watered with a hunger to taste and flick my tongue over the length of that thick, heavy cock, but I couldn’t move.

A tap on the door elicited a white-hot flare of shock through my chest and limbs. I gasped as the groaning wooden door swung open. But the king didn’t stop pleasuring himself in front of my face. His head remained thrown back and rasping breaths dragged out of him.

My eyes flicked up to the short, stout Chamberlain stepping into the room. His face blanched as he took in the indecent scene in the king’s study.

He took one step back, half hiding behind the door, then cleared his throat. “My apologies, but your breakfast is ready, My Liege.”

Ren licked his salacious lips and glanced down at my exposed legs on the desk. His voice grated through him as he continued stroking. “I’ve already had my breakfast. Now get out!”

The Chamberlain took one more step back until the door completely obscured him. “But, Your Majesty, the Grand Duchess is awaiting you.”

“Then she can bloody keep waiting!” Ren bellowed .

“Very well,” the Chamberlain’s voice wavered, but he backed out and shut the door.

Without giving me a moment to feel mortified at the interruption, Ren tugged my face closer. My heart hammered away in my chest as he groaned, stroking himself faster. Broken breaths tore from his lungs as he twisted my hair painfully.

“Ah, fuck, Lilly, I’m coming—” Ren’s orgasm erupted through him with a ferocious moan and violent shudder.

I flinched back but remained trapped in place by his fist in my hair as the first rope of cum hit my cheek.

Then another line over my lips, the bridge of my nose, across my eye, and into stray curls of my hair until he’d spent every drop.

A wave of sickness, a monster of embarrassment and shame, rolled through my stomach. Fat, hot tears breached my eyes. But I held my breath, restraining the sob in the back of my throat.

Ren caressed my chin as he tipped my head back, inspecting his work. “Gods, you’re a perfectly exquisite creature.” Then he dropped my head to shove himself back into his trousers. “I must attend the Grand Duchess. But I shall see you later tonight, Lilly.”

He turned his back on me, and only one thought cracked through my mind. My hand shot out as if to stop him. “Ren, wait!”

The king halted near the door, glancing at me over his shoulder.

“My… my animals, Ren. They’re alone.”

Understanding and something else I couldn’t place mingled in his eyes. Without another word, His Majesty dipped his head in a brief nod before vanishing through the door .

So much for a heart-warming reunion. I was more alone than my poor animals. I was spoiled, used, and left in a strange, dangerous place, utterly alone in silence to sob with cum-coated lips.

The palace, the world, left me utterly alone to sink onto the floor and sob until my eyes ran dry. Immeasurable time passed as every ounce of agony wrung from my aching, exhausted frame. It must have only been a few minutes as I judged sunlight through the window barely inching across the room.

The metallic click of the door handle snagged me out of my miserable puddle on the rug.

I pushed myself upright, reining in my remaining sniffles as someone entered the room.

For a moment, my heart skipped, wretched and hopeful to see the face of the one I shouldn’t want to see again so soon.

Not after what he’d done to me and how he left me.

And yet…

Rhydan poked his head around the door. His dark eyes searched the room, and a frown tugged his lips down until he spotted me on the floor. His brows shot up and a flash of shock burst over his expression.

In a few quick strides, the knight crossed the room. I inadvertently recoiled from the knight when he crouched before me. He noted the flinch, and sympathy smoothed over his features. Without a word, he pulled a handkerchief out and handed it over.

I accepted the offer and quickly wiped off my face. Though nothing short of a burning hot bath would wash the shame away .

“Thank you,” I croaked, and cringed at the raw scrape of my voice in my throat. Trying to be polite, I handed the handkerchief back.

Rhydan put his hand up to stop me. “You can keep that.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll get a new one.”

My hand dropped into my lap, and a ragged exhale whooshed out of me. I cast my gaze to the floor, staring at my dirty feet, my discarded garden apron, and Rhydan’s boots.

“I am sorry for how you’ve been treated so far.” The knight’s voice snagged my attention, and I met his eyes. They were so full of pity I wanted to look away.

“Why didn’t he come for me himself?”. The words rolled off my tongue before I could bite them back.

Rhydan shrugged, then swiped a hand over the back of his neck.

A sharp breath flew past his lips. “He told the council what happened when he returned. About how you found him on the verge of death in the woods and he barely survived. Soren might be the king, but he still has duties for his people and his kingdom. Plus, the council and Grand Duchess did everything possible to keep him within the capital for the past two weeks to ensure he had fully healed and was out of danger. Sending us to fetch you was his only option.”

“Hm.” I twiddled my thumbs in my lap, turning over that information.

I’d always believed kings and royals were all powerful, with no one to deny their whims. The council and Grand Duchess must be the king’s reins.

“Why bring me back at all?”

“One excuse he gave me was that he had to be sure you weren’t with child.” He glanced sheepishly around the room. “I can fetch a physician to be sure, unless… ”

Horror flashed through me at the thought of carrying the Butcher’s bastard. Heat crept up my neck and stained my cheeks. “No. Gods, no. I had my bleeding after he left.”

Internally, I thanked the gods for that bit of luck.

“Oh, good, I suppose,” he sighed heavily, embarrassed he had to ask. “The king drinks a monthly tea to ensure his seed bears no fruit, but we must be sure. Ren’s not fond of the idea of bastards.”

An infuriating spark of curiosity tugged my lips loose once more. “Why is that?”

The knight shook his head, rising to his feet. “That’s not my story to tell, my lady.” He offered a hand to help me up.

Repeating what I’d told him earlier, I said, “I am no lady.” I wouldn’t accept his hand on the pretense I was such. My lips thinned as I stared at the deep brown skin of his toned hand and the scars on his fingers. A peasant girl from the outer villages didn’t need a knight to help her up.

Ignoring my wary stare, Rhydan leaned down and grabbed my hand. He effortlessly tugged me to my feet. His scent filled my nose, one of sweet oil and still faintly of horse and fresh air.

Rhydan’s smile was blinding. It unsettled me how my heart delighted at the sight of it. As if I needed the connection, the friendship, glittering in his eyes, I relaxed in his presence.

“You stand like a lady, and you almost talk like one. Maybe that’s enough to help you while you’re here,” he offered.

While my ears weren’t an outstanding trait, unless one was looking for a reason to suspect me of having fae blood, it still wasn’t safe for me. I could pass as human well enough. I’d even gone undetected under the very nose of the Fairy Butcher, but risking that luck would be foolish.

“I don’t intend to remain here long,” I countered, hardening my resolve. I tugged my hand free from the knight’s and scooped my apron off the floor.

“He’s… He’s never been like this before,” Rhydan stated.

“An ass?” I blurted.

His features grew tight with defense. “Undone by a woman. I’ve never seen him so unraveled.”

“Ah, so you and the king are friends?” Was Rhydan one of the fake friends Ren mentioned weeks ago?

“We’ve known each other for a long time. Since before they made him king.” At my silence, he quietly said, “You don’t know the story at all, do you?”

Being isolated on the farm left me more in the dark than I thought, I realized. There was gossip and whispers I’d missed out on thanks to my solitude. My knowledge of Soren felt endlessly limited to the scrapes he’d let slip.

“I knew there was a new king, and that he officially declared war against the fae. And I knew what he was called.” The nickname left a bitterness on my tongue at the thought. I couldn’t bring myself to repeat it.

“But not where Ren came from or why he is king now?” Something clicked in Rhydan’s eyes. He knew a tale I didn’t.

One I didn’t think I wanted to know.

“Is this about the story that isn’t yours to tell?”

His head dipped in answer. “Most people in the capitol know the story on the surface, but I won’t be the one to tell it. If you want to know more about Ren, ask him.”

I held up my hand. “No, I don’t want to know more than what I do now. I don’t need to understand him or know him. I need to leave.” My stomach interrupted, loudly protesting being empty. “And I need something to eat.”

“Aye, I can see to that.” He seemed content with the change of subject. “Come with me and I’ll take you to your room. Then I’ll have the kitchen prepare you something to eat.”

Indignation flared through my chest. “My room?”

Rhydan’s shoulder lifted and dropped sheepishly. “His Majesty insisted.”

“Oh, fuck His Royal Majesty!” I groaned, petulant but too hungry to resist.

The knight’s face brightened with surprise and delight. “Oh, how fascinating. I’ve never heard a lady talk like that before. You’ll do just fine here, I’m sure of it.”