Page 24

Annalise

I may have forgotten the king, but my body has not. It yearns for his touch in a way it never did with Elias. His hands roam over me knowingly, leaving a scorching trail of warmth along my breasts, my stomach, and my legs. My heart beats wildly against my chest and my eyes are wide, taking in the smoke surrounding us. But unlike Elias, it doesn’t harm me. It only drifts in the air surrounding us, dissipating into a mist at the ends.

I don’t know if it is adrenaline mingled with my arousal that makes me so receptive to Cyrus’s touch, but all of my resolve flies out the window as his lips descend over my throat. I toss my head back, giving him full access to my body as he licks and suckles at the sensitive flesh. Even as the seal on my ribs heats up, pulsing in tune with the beast over me, it doesn’t hurt.

My pussy aches for his touch as his hand grips my breast, his thumb flicking at my nipple to only intensify my arousal. I can’t think of anything. Not my anger, my resentment, or even my desire to leave as he has his way.

I am his in the way I was in my vision. The night he gave me his seal.

“Ah!” I moan as he tears what’s left of my gown, exposing me to him completely, and when he pulls back to study my form, I find myself entranced by his gaze. His eyes are hooded with lust as they roam over my body, lingering on my beaded nipples. He remains over me as his hand drifts to my stomach, running his palm over me knowingly, his touch lingering on my ribs.

“You are mine, Annalise. You have always been mine.” His thumb rubs over the seal, and my eyes widen as it intensifies from his touch. “This… woman you claim to be at this moment does not matter. Because you are mine, no matter what state your mind has taken on. And I will never let you be free of that.”

His hand remains flush with my skin as he lowers his touch, drifting over my thigh before shifting between my legs. I gasp as he pushes past my folds, a growl of approval eliciting from his chest when he finds me wet with need, my legs trembling as he teases my clit with his touch. My inner walls convulse slightly, and my hips buck against my better judgment as he finally slips a finger inside of me, forcing a shaky moan from my lips.

“See? You know me. You declared so boldly that you fucked that poor excuse for a king, but did you come apart like this just from his hand?“ he murmurs, continuing to study me. He emphasizes his claim by inserting another finger, further stretching me to accommodate him. I tremble, the heat between my legs building. It’s unnerving, the way he watches me with barely a shred of control in his eyes, but it’s also captivating as he strokes me, curling his fingers inside of me to deepen my pleasure.

I feel my inner walls continuing to squeeze his fingers as my moans become uncontrollable. He’s right. What I felt with Elias was nothing like this. It’s as if my body has a mind of its own. I feel my orgasm seconds from washing over me, and so does Cyrus as he removes his fingers from inside of me. I open my eyes just in time to see him placing his fingers still glistening with my arousal past his lips, his eyes shifting as he tastes me.

He leans over me, covering my body with his, his face inches from my own. I note the black smoke has subsided slightly, but even as he touches me—even as it drifts over my personal space, licking at my flesh, it doesn’t harm me. It’s a featherlight touch that caresses my skin.

Cyrus’s eyes captivate me as he positions himself at my entrance, the tip of his cock brushing lightly against me. I release a deep breath, closing my eyes when he jostles me.

“Open your eyes, Anna. Look at me,” he murmurs.

I force my eyes open, my mouth widening as he pushes past my entrance at a slow pace. I feel every inch of him as he pushes himself into me, his cock stretching me much further than his fingers did. It hurts slightly, but the pain is outweighed by pleasure as I tremble in his arms. The seal on my side bursts with life, the heat stretching from my ribs to my entire body until he is fully inside of me, his pubic bone pressed against mine.

“I wish you could see yourself. You’re a mess just from my cock. A cock you claimed you want no part of any longer.” His tone causes me to shiver in his arms as his hand wraps around my waist, pulling me into him. He pulls out, only to thrust again, his eyes never leaving mine. The eerie warmth I once felt when he touched me seems to be emanating from his body as he thrusts again, lowering his lips to mine.

I can’t find it in me to push him away.

My memories mingle with one another, showing me flashes of our times together, flashes of he and I doing this very act over and over. And every time, I come apart in his arms. I cling to his skin, my nails digging into his flesh as he thrusts within me. I moan just as I am now, screaming my pleasure and begging Cyrus for release.

Cyrus, the king of the beasts who slaughtered my village. The beast who gave me Ciel and the child we both lost and mourned in our separate parts of the world. Cyrus, the beast who I wanted to return to even after he banished me.

Cyrus pushes his tongue past my lips, capturing my own as his thrusts grow more desperate. His cock fills me in every way imaginable, stroking against me to coax me to release and I can do nothing but cling to him as I always do, pleasure clouding my mind.

He’s in me, surrounding me, captivating every piece of me as his thrusts continue, and finally, my body comes apart in his arms. He swallows my moans as my inner walls convulse, gripping his cock rhythmically as I find release. He doesn’t let up, however, fucking me through my orgasm with an intensity that makes my muscles spasm uncontrollably.

He finally releases my lips, and I open my mouth letting my guttural moans echo off the walls. Euphoria washes over me as I twitch and grind myself against him, grateful that he doesn’t force me to beg for release, he gives it to me freely.

Cyrus’s touch remains on me as I finally come down from my high of pleasure, my mind slowly clearing of the lust-filled haze that surrounded it. And as I do, I force myself to open my eyes and look at the beast who knows at this moment that he has me. No matter what words come from my lips, my body and even my locked-away mind somewhat recognize him. He knows it, and I know it. He’s right.

I am his.

“I’ve always been fond of that mind of yours. And the moment I realized it could be a threat, I dedicated my time to learning it. So that every decision you make, I would anticipate. You may not want any part of your past, but I will ensure you never lead a peaceful life without it. I don’t care for this person you think you’ve become in our time apart,” he says.

My eyes widen as Cyrus closes the distance between us, his tongue laving over my collarbone before resting at the base of my ear where his teeth lightly nip at my lobe. His tone causes chills to form over my flesh as he speaks into my ear.

“You will only be leaving here as my Annalise. Or not at all.”

I miscalculated. I thought Cyrus was a beast who would be disgusted with me once he realized what I had done. I thought that in telling him that I didn’t want this, the lust and possessiveness in his eyes would die down, and he would release me to live a life apart from this one, as not only the mother to his child but a woman who was once meant to be his queen. But I miscalculated. The possessiveness I thought I saw was not fleeting, nor was it conditional to my mental state. It was what he deems as love. And he is holding fast to it.

Cyrus is silent as he sits behind me in the large clawfoot tub. The hard press of his erection strains against my backside, and I try my best to ignore it. I can’t believe he’s still aroused after the number of times he had me tonight. But I don’t dare make a comment on it. I don’t know that my body can take it.

I tense as his fingers drift into my hair, the warmth I’ve grown accustomed to seeping into me. It makes my head hurt, I realize this time around. But once again I say nothing.

“Have you given up on your endeavors so quickly, all because I bared my teeth?” he asks. I can hear the smile in his tone as he continues to run his fingers rhythmically through my hair.

“You’ve made your intentions quite clear if I continue to fight this,” I say softly.

Cyrus chuckles. “You were always so clever. I guess that hasn’t changed in your current state. I do advise you to lock away whatever plan you may be devising while you feign defeat,” he says.

I shift slightly in the water, enjoying the warmth against my sore muscles. Cyrus moves with me, pulling me against his chest as his hands drift from my scalp to my temples. The warmth intensifies as he presses his fingertips against them. I flinch slightly from the pain, speaking before he can comment.

“I’m not planning anything,” I murmur.

Cyrus once again laughs. “I’ve fallen prey to you too many times to believe that,” he says.

“And yet you would keep me here even if you suspect me of betraying you again?” I ask.

“Of course. Do you think I traveled all the way to Elias’s lands only to give up when faced with a version of you that is resentful of the jumble of memories rattling around in your head?” he asks.

I remain silent as his words make me think of Elias. My eyes shift to my leg, where the darkened skin remains. Elias tried to kill me because of this beast who lovingly strokes my hair and massages my temples. And until now, it hasn’t settled in exactly why.

“Elias said you wiped everything out in his lands,” I whisper, my eyes remaining on the water.

Cyrus’s fingers still. “Yes. I did.”

I release shaky breath as his touch becomes increasingly uncomfortable, but once again I do not let him know how it affects me.

“You did that because of me?” I ask.

Cyrus is silent for a moment, lowering his hands into the water before speaking.

“When Elias came to my kingdom, it wasn’t a peaceful trip. He came with the intent of taking you through whatever means he could. I was rash and foolish, and I let my guard down. I let my emotions get the best of me. I let your words at the time fuel me.” Cyrus gently pushes my hair over my shoulder, his lips lowering to my shoulder briefly before he speaks. “Beasts are not human. We do not adhere to the same rules as your kind. And Elias, he provoked my wrath when he took you and slaughtered everyone in that estate. And now he has paid for that with everything he had.”

Even though the bath is warm, I shiver from Cyrus’s words. They’re so cruel and without remorse as if an entire landmass of innocents deserved his wrath because of their king. But I know he is keeping more from me. He’s very careful with his words, ensuring he doesn’t reveal something he doesn’t need me to know now.

“You find this unsettling?” Cyrus asks.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” I murmur drawing out more laughter from Cyrus as his hands drift between my legs.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg for how far I would go for you, Anna. I don’t take these feelings for you lightly,” he says.

“And yet you banished me, separating me from my son…causing all of this,” I say.

Cyrus’s hands still.

“I did not cause this. You did. You betrayed me before Elias ever came into the picture. You ran away from me, taking my child with you across the sea, bringing the attention of an enemy into my kingdom. I never faulted you for that. And yet, when you were faced with the decision to choose a side, you chose wrong. You betrayed me yet again. And so, I sent you away,“ he says.

Cyrus releases a deep breath, his hand finding the seal under the water. I release a gasp as it comes alive, pulsing from his touch. And as he traces it with his fingers, I think of all the moments it came to my aid during my time with Elias. All the times the warmth accompanied me through the most challenging days without me calling on it, and a part of me feels like I understand Cyrus’s “feelings” even more now.

“But I have learned from that mistake. I won’t send you away again. No matter what happens between us. And no matter what you think you want. Never again.”