Page 15 of Royal Beast (Royals of the Underworld #1)

DARCY

A fter seeing Kellan get so badly injured because of me, it’s made me skittish around him. I’m afraid of how we clash, afraid of letting my stubborn streak take over. I want to say something to ease the tension between us, but every time I look at him, a dark, heavy guilt twists in my gut.

I shouldn’t have run off like that.

Then, inevitably, the old anger flares up again, that helpless feeling I remember from childhood when my father would blow our last bit of money, leaving us without food. That same helpless feeling has me ready to start World War III with Kellan all over again.

So, I’ve been avoiding him, partly to alleviate my guilt and partly to keep myself from snapping.

But tonight, he came back from the pub with the scent of beer on his breath, practically angling for a fight.

And I knew I wasn’t going to hold back. All that simmering resentment and guilt came rushing to the surface, and we finally had it out, saying everything we’d both been bottling up.

I thought that was the end of it until he kissed me. Now, he’s carrying me to our bedroom. My mind is a blur of desperate need and the twisted urge to prove he needs me more than I need him.

As he lays me down on the bed, I reach out to pull him toward me, but he steps back, and my eyes widen, shock coursing through me.

Kellan’s smile turns sinister, a glint of dangerous mischief in his eyes that sends a shiver racing through me.

Nerves and excitement make my pulse quicken as he steps over to the chest of drawers and slides open the top one.

Anticipation builds inside me as he rifles through for something before pushing the drawer closed and turning to face me.

“Bad girls need to be punished,” he says.

Slowly, he ambles forward, dangling something that glints in the dim light of the room.

I inhale sharply when I realize he’s holding a pair of handcuffs.

“Have you ever done anything like this before, darlin’?” he asks, kneeling on the bed before me.

“N–No,” I stammer out. My knees clench, my body torn between eager anticipation and a spark of nervous tension at the sight of the cuffs.

“We’ll use the stoplight system, he says, crawling up the bed toward me. “Red means stop, no questions asked. Yellow means slow down. Green means go.”

His gaze darkens, fingers tracing a path up my thigh. “Now, I’m going to tie you up, and you’re going to beg for mercy, unless you’d rather I didn’t?” He tilts his head, a hint of challenge in his eyes.

I swallow hard, the idea of being completely vulnerable to him sending a thrill straight to my core.

Kellan teases a pattern across my lower stomach with his finger. “What’s your color, sweetheart?”

Our eyes meet and I shiver at the intensity of his gaze. Without hesitation, the word falls from my lips.

“Green.”

His smirk turns downright predatory as he straddles me and grabs one of my wrists, placing a cuff on it.

He then loops a cuff through the headboard and places the other cuff on my other wrist so I’m completely tied up, the restraints tethered to the headboard.

The cuffs are metal but they’re padded so they’re not uncomfortable.

I could probably wriggle out if I tried hard enough, but I’m more interested in seeing what Kellan will do to me.

“Color?” he asks again, the evidence of his arousal pressing against me as he sits back to admire his handiwork.

“Still green,” I admit, a breathy note to my voice. My whole body is trembling now, heart hammering in my chest. My eyes are trained on Kellan and I wonder what he’s going to do to me next. I don’t have to wait long before he begins to pull off my clothing, one piece at a time.

He takes his time in a playful manner, rolling up my socks and neatly folding my wide-legged trousers and my panties. He then unbuttons my top, making a show of undoing each button as slowly as possible. My pussy is throbbing with need now, desire burning inside me as he pops open the final button.

Once I’m naked, laid out bare before him, he steps back to look at me. Gently tugging to test the restraints, I realize that I’m well and truly under his control.

He pulls out a silk tie and wraps it around my head, securing it in a knot. I’m tied up and blindfolded now, fear and arousal warring within me, vying for the top spot.

“Color?” he asks, his voice a whisper in my ear.

“Green,” I whisper back. Inside my head, the constant need for control and order is falling away, getting quieter and quieter. My brain focuses on the sound of my breathing and the soft exhales coming from Kellan.

I feel the bed shift. The sound of the dresser opening again and then a rustling noise reach my ears.

I twist, turning toward the noise, but the blindfold renders me helpless, unable to see what’s coming next.

I feel a weight press down on the bed again before smelling Kellan’s distinctive cedarwood and pine scent.

His fingers reach out, trailing along my thighs, and I shiver again, unable to pull away.

Pushing my legs apart, Kellan settles between them and presses something between my folds. The object feels rubbery, like silicone, and when it starts buzzing, I move instinctively, trying to pull back, but I’m trapped.

The toy starts a suctioning motion on my clit, and I can’t pull away or move. All I can do is let out a moan, writhing as the toy is pressed against me harder. “Oh, fuck,” I curse, inhaling sharply as the toy continues its relentless torture.

Kellan begins to touch my breast as he continues to use the toy on my throbbing clit. His fingers manipulate my nipple into a stiff peak, and I moan, my thighs falling further apart. “Oh, my God, oh, God, just like that,” I beg. “Don’t stop.”

“You forget, sweetheart, I’m the one in charge,” Kellan says, pulling the toy away from my clit.

“No!” I protest, jerking my hips to try to spur him back to action. “Put it back right now!” I can’t see him, but I feel his fingers brush against my pussy lips. I try to press against them, and he chuckles.

“For every protest you make, I’m going to edge you,” Kellan warns. “That’s one already.”

“What?” I ask, furrowing my brow behind the makeshift mask.

“I’m going to bring you right up to the edge and then I’m going to stop,” he explains. I pull weakly at my restraints, uncertain whether I’m willing to let him torment me like this.

As though sensing my hesitation, Kellan leans down and strokes my hair off my forehead before whispering in my ear, “You have to learn to let other people take care of you, Darcy.”

I shudder, knowing he’s right. I have a hard time trusting people. What I’m allowing him to do right now is a huge jump for me. I recall the way my head was feeling earlier, the need for control now melting away, a soft, floating feeling replacing it.

Finally, my body relaxes, and Kellan presses the device back to my spread lips, letting the toy do its job once more. “Good girl,” he says, stroking over my hardened nipple, playing with it as he continues to move the toy against my clit. I arch my back, completely lost in the sensations.

“You’re doing so well,” he praises, his voice like a cool balm to my earlier anxiety. I find myself welcoming the floating feeling, letting his words wash over me as I surrender all control.

The toy’s speed suddenly picks up, sucking harder and vibrating at a higher intensity. I feel that familiar pressure building up inside, the warmth of desire swimming through my veins. It makes me crave more, but I try my best to go with the flow, to let Kellan take the lead.

“That’s it,” he says, moving his fingers to my other breast. “You’re doing so well, sweetheart. You don’t need to worry about an orgasm right now. All you need to worry about is letting me play your body like an instrument. Your pleasure is in my hands. I control it.”

Something unfurls inside me and I sigh, realizing how much I’m enjoying this.

It’s like being submerged in a warm bath or maybe floating on a soft cloud.

Even though my body demands release, my mind is content with whatever happens next.

All my stress is gone with the way that Kellan is touching and playing with me.

The coil inside winds tighter, and just as it’s about to snap, Kellan pulls the toy away. I whimper, my orgasm ruined. “No, please, don’t stop!”

The words come out before I can stop them. I let out a noise of frustration while Kellan gives me a tsk.

“That’s two. Maybe this time, you’ll learn, Wildflower.”

“I’ll be good this time, I promise,” I say, closing my eyes behind the blindfold. I can practically see the smirk on Kellan’s face, but I don’t care. All I want is to feel good and earn his praise.

Kellan presses the vibrator back to my pussy as he begins to tease my body with dexterous fingers.

It doesn’t take long for the familiar warmth to wash over me once again, building slowly, like waves lapping against the shore as the tide comes in.

The warmth travels higher and higher on my body as Kellan pinches and rolls my nipples, rubbing the toy in slow circles against my aching pussy.

I know I’m close again, but I can’t bear the thought of losing another orgasm so I press my lips shut, refusing to let out a single noise.

But it doesn’t work. It’s as if he’s too attuned to my body and he can sense how close I am. Before I can crest the final wave, he’s pulling away again.

A shiver escapes me as I lie back against the pillows. I was so close, and once again, he stopped it. A feeling of helpless frustration bubbles up and I want to scream, but then Kellan is there, whispering gentle words of praise, rubbing soothing circles into my belly.

“You can do this,” he says. “But don’t try to cheat. If you want to come, you need to be a good girl. Can you be a good girl, Wildflower?”

I nod, eyes still screwed shut behind the mask. “I can be good. Please. I want to be good.”

“Then let’s try this once more. When you’re close, I want you to tell me this time.”

I exhale and nod. “Okay.”

Kellan strokes over my belly again, but then I feel his hands move and he’s pressing the toy against me.

Once he switches it on, I’m already so close that I don’t know if I can warn him in time.

I tense, trying to hold off the inevitable, trying to keep myself from falling off the edge without permission.

“I’m close,” I cry out. “I can’t hold back anymore!”

“Shh,” Kellan whispers. “Let go, darlin’. I want you to be a good girl and come for me now. Go ahead,” he encourages.

The orgasm hits me hard, practically stealing my breath away with the force of it. Pleasure courses through me, exploding inside me like a spark of errant electricity, lighting me up from the inside out.

Kellan reaches down and pulls the blindfold off my eyes. “Good girl,” he says, a warm smile on his face, not the cocky grin I was expecting. It sends a wave of happiness through me. “Rest for a moment. I have more planned. Because tonight? You’re all mine , Darcy.”

I shudder, excited at the promise in his words.