Page 23 of The Time Of Kings (An Afterlife Story #1)

22

TAKING CHARGE

DRAVEN

W hen I lowered her to my bed I became transfixed. But then I was also fooling myself, for in truth, I had been transfixed from the very first moment I saw her. Hence why I struggled so. For I was in new territory here, and I knew that, for her sake, I needed to slow down slightly. I needed to take my time in getting to the place where I wanted our courtship to find its fruition, and therefore walk its final destination… down the aisle. Making her my wife was the only way for me to relax, knowing that she would see herself as being mine under the eyes of God.

This also meant situating her in my life so completely, that when the fated time came to reveal my true nature, she would not be so inclined to run. Especially if she had nowhere to run to. It was a bold and tyrannical move on my part, this was true, but it could not be helped. For I needed to be assured that she would not slip through my fingers when trying to escape me, if she indeed tried to run from my world. Then, and only then, would I be free to tie her to me for all eternity. A place I was most eager to get to, hence why slowing down was like convincing the devil he needed no more souls to torture… an impossible task.

To most men in my position, it would seem as if I had lost myself to madness by wanting to marry a woman I had only met that day. But they did not know me.

They did not know who I was.

Nor did she.

The nagging guilt picked away at me like never before. Because I knew what I was. That I was a bastard in the face of what I was about to do to her, and before she knew the real me. I knew that she currently had a half Demon in bed with her, about to claim her maiden head. But what was the alternative? For me to confess what I was and for her to run screaming from my bedchambers in hysterics.

Meaning what choice did I have? For I needed her to fall in love with me first. This so as I could be assured in revealing my true nature would not have her recoiling in fear of me. Hence why I continued with my plan to marry her first… it was the only way.

Then why was it I felt such heavy guilt whereas the emotion had never ailed me before? Because I was quickly falling in love with the Goddess now spread out beneath me, that was why. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew it was far more than just the prophecy. I had never been challenged so much by a female in all my life, my sister not included, of course.

Catherine was like two sides of the coin. Shy and nervous one moment and the next, brave enough to speak her mind and grant me a lashing with her tongue. For she had a quick wit I had never come across before. One I certainly didn’t think I would appreciate in a woman, or find it so arousing at that. With it came an adorable beauty, not just her obvious attributes, but more in the way that she bit her bottom lip.

It was a maddening distraction, for it only served to bring my constant attention to her lips. It was also the way in which she wrinkled her nose when expressing her dislike or discomfort for something. The way she fidgeted nervously when being bestowed attention. Something I believed most woman in my company would relish due to my social standing, for there was many avaricious females in the Ton. But then, perhaps that had only been the ladies within this elite circle, for most seemed to enjoy showing themselves off like newly emerged butterflies.

But my Catherine was different.

Vastly so, and I found myself captivated by every move she made. I wanted to discover everything there was to know. However, this was where my problems began, for I knew she was keeping something from me. An aspect of her life that I could tell was of great significance. One I would soon get to the root of but, for now, it was time to discover a lot more of her.

Of course, getting her out of her dress had been my first priority. Which was why I had her turning around to face away from me, or I should specify… my talons. Another sight that would have confused and frightened her, for she had already started to question my minor slip ups. Oh, how I would have wished for our first time to be open and free, for I knew my restraint on keeping my Demon side leashed by its reins was going to be a challenge. She brought out that side of me, even without trying. I had never believed myself as someone who struggled with restraint before but here I was, already feeling my fangs wishing to emerge for a taste her.

I had never before fed from a human, nor had I ever lay with one. So, I knew I was treading on precarious ground here. I needed to be gentle, for this was in all likelihood her first time. Just the thought that she could have possibly laid with another near sent me into a murderous frenzy and, once again, new emotions rose to the surface. Jealousy was something that I had never had the occasion to feel before, as I usually possessed all I wanted. Hence why the emotion was just as foreign as all the others that had arose swiftly throughout the first day meeting her.

But I could not think of that now. No, for I would allow nothing to spoil this moment for me. I may not be able to claim her fully, in the way of exchanging blood, but I knew that would come in time. Instead, tonight, I would claim her in every way a man possibly could possess a woman. But first, it was time to make her scream my name, for soon it would be the only name to leave her lips. Lips that parted the moment my hand traced the edge of her corset. Her milky flesh quivered as her delicious breasts rose and fell with her laboured breathing.

I found myself transfixed by the sight. I had never seen one as beautiful as she, for I could had gazed upon her for days and never tire of the sight. I wanted to map each line, each mark or curve that made her solely unique. The little moans she made with my touch shot straight to my groin as well as that of my heart.

But then came a breathy little word that I swear was enough to undo me. To unravel every piece of the man I thought myself to be. My rule, my command, my power, and my kingdom… all of it, I would lay at her feet just for that one word spoken.

“Please.”

So softly whispered from her lips, it was like a soothing balm to my immortal soul. Yet despite how it affected me, I would not yet let her know of the power she held over me. Instead, I leaned down over her, whispering my own demand over her lips.

“Tell me, what do you want, little thief?”

She shuddered a breath as my hand caressed a trail down in between her breasts, stopping my descent before reaching that silken scrap of material between her thighs. Again, her frustration was mounting, making me smirk at the sight of her squirming for more of my touch. A smirk that was free to turn into a grin, for her eyes remained shut.

“Please,” she again pleaded sweetly for me, and it was my turn to close my eyes and draw in a shuddered breath. As once more it had the strength to unravel me. Yet before she could witness this, I leaned down and pressed for more.

“What do you wish for? Speak of it and it is yours.” With these words, I held myself so still, waiting for what felt like an eternity, longing to hear how much she wanted me.

The way I wanted her was like a fever had just taken over my soul. It burned for her. Burned to be her everything, just as she was mine.

Then finally… finally it came.

“I want you… please… I need you.”

Oh, but it was the sweetest of music, for its sound sang out to the deepest part of me. It was all I needed to hear to grant me the freedom to take her, for nothing but denial from her own lips could have the power to stop me now.

Which was why I took great pleasure in dipping my hand beneath the silk and discovering something far softer. A taste I was eager to indulge myself in again, and soon would. But for now, I marvelled at the way her back arched with the first swipe of my fingers. The continued graze of her swollen bud was one that made her body tremble, and it was but another addiction that quickly joined the others.

“So wet for me,” I hummed in pleasure after coating my finger and gliding it with ease over the rest of her intimate area. Once more, I was continually rewarded with breathy little sounds and the sweetest of sighs. In truth, I could barely hold myself back from tearing the material from her and plundering her silken wet sheath with my cock.

In fact, I could feel myself near shaking in anticipation, something I confess to having never felt before. However, I also knew of the importance in preparing her for what was to follow, as I wanted her quivering beneath me. I wanted her pleading for me to give her what I had already hinted at. For I just knew that she would…

Beg oh so sweetly for me.

Which was why I increased my circular movements, teasing her first release from her. As for all the others I intended to give her tonight, well she would not find me so gentle, for it was time for her first lesson in what it meant for her to be mine.

“Yes, yes, yes… oh God yes!” she cried out as it ignited from her. The exquisite sight of her body shuddering and her lips parting as she cried out was a memory now seared to my soul. I had never felt my cock harder than it was in this current moment, for seeing her wild abandonment was a heavenly sight to behold. One that was about to get even better, for it was time to rid her of the rest of her undergarments.

So, as she was still panting in the wake of her pleasure, I suddenly flipped her over so as her belly was to the bed, unable to help my chuckle when she cried out in shock. So much for being gentle… I smirked.

“Be still,” I warned her, once more putting to good use my Demonic talons as I cut straight through the cord of her corset Her sigh of relief was another sound that made me chuckle. I didn’t know how females could stand being so constricted, despite how enticing such a garment was to gaze upon.

However, I knew something far more enchanting awaited me beneath it. Hence why I wasn’t all too gentle when pulling the offending item from beneath her. Her little gasp matched that jerk of her body before I tossed it to the floor where it could remain.

I then trailed gentle fingertips down her bare back, following the curve of her spine, and like some contented cat she arched into my caress. I was once again free to grin arrogantly, knowing what my touch did to her and the power it held. Which was why I leaned down, crowding over her so as I could whisper my next command in her ear.

“Show yourself to me.”

Her body shivered beneath me, and this time my arrogance was felt by her with my lips grinning against her neck. However, when she made no attempt to move, I nipped at her sensitive skin, making her yelp as I reminded her,

“I am waiting.”

Another shudder was all it took for her to start to shift her body, and I was more than happy to give her enough space to do so. My eyes drank in the sight of her as she was finally revealed to me. Her beautiful breasts I knew would fit perfectly in my large hands, for I was pleased to see that she was ample in size. Her delicious curves made my mouth water and were too tempting to resist. So, I lowered my lips to those rose-tinted buds, her hardened nipples begging for my teeth.

“Oh god… ahh… yes…” she moaned as I alternated between sucking them between my lips and rolling my teeth across them, and she responded beautifully to the bite of pain. Good, she would satisfy my sexual appetite perfectly, for all the delectable sinful things that I wished to do to her were now running rampant in my mind.

Hence why it didn’t take me long before I found my limit, removing myself from the cradle of her body. First, I reached up and untangled her hands from where they gripped my hair, as she held my head to her chest. A place I would have been more than happy to remain. However, there was another place I was eager to call home, for I would soon find my cock seated there within her body often enough.

So, with this in mind, I rose above her and shifted until I was off the bed and standing in front of her. The sound of my shoes landing with a thud on the floor was enough to make her jerk. Her body hummed with nervous energy. One I would soon spend my time ridding her of in the most delectable way.

Her eyes were rooted to the sight of me as I started to undress, never before doing so with the hopes of another liking what they saw. I had spent most of my long life under the veil of arrogance, as was expected of being King. Unspoken confidence came with the knowledge of power I had been born with. One that was greater than all I ruled over and, therefore, granted me an unmovable assurance in my abilities. The same could be said for when I decided to take one of my own kind to my bed. As never before had I questioned if they liked what they saw for they had always been all too eager to be with their king.

Which was why as I now removed each item of clothing, I drank in her response to watching me. It was an intoxicating experience, for it was like chasing the green fairy whilst partaking in Hul Gil. What the Sumerians had named the ever-popular opium back in ancient times. Its translation meant ‘joy plant’ for a reason. But there was no greater joy in my very own brand of drug. One I couldn’t seem to get enough of, as I was unable to take my eyes from her.

And as for my soon to be queen, who continued to watch me as I stripped down to bare skin, her eyes spoke of only one thing…

Mine.