CHAPTER 40: MORE

The heat inside her coiled tighter with every movement of his hand. His palm slid across her skin with a slowness that made her yearn for more. His hands were slightly rough against her skin, and yet, instead of disliking it, she liked it even more; their roughness making her shiver as she leaned into his touch..

He pinched her ni**le and Her wolf purred low in her head, a deep, satisfied rumble that made her stomach twist in confusion even as a slight pain shot through her at the sensation... It was maddening-how a single touch from him could quiet the fever tearing through her veins when she wanted to fight him, wanted to hate him.

His fingers kneaded her breast lightly, almost lazily, and the sensation shot straight through her like lightning. She bit down on her lip hard, holding the sound in, but it was useless- her body trembled anyway, her breath coming in shaky bursts. Shame burned beneath her skin even hotter than the heat itself.

She didn’t even know his name. Her hands clenched within the cuffs.

The thought struck her sharply, cutting through the haze for a brief, painful moment. She didn’t know the name of the man whose hand owned every inch of her body right now, the man who had chained her, cornered her... and yet made her body betray her like this.

She wanted to ask. The words gathered on her tongue- but then his hand moved, sliding slowly to her other breast, and a broken moan escaped her before she could stop it.

She heard his chuckle, low and close to her ear, and it made her whole body go rigid. The sound wasn’t loud, but it carried something worse than cruelty—amusement. He was entertained. Here she was, trembling mindlessly against the chains, barely able to breathe through the fever and the unbearable relief he gave her, while he stood there with complete control.

Her nails dug harder into the chain above her head until she felt the bite of metal against her palms. She hated this. Hated how her body was betraying her, tightening and trembling under his touch, hated that the need twisting inside her was winning over the fury she clung to. The heat was unbearable—but the relief he gave her, the power of it, was worse. It stripped her bare in a way the chains never could.

She wanted to fight. She wanted to give in. Both urges warred inside her, breaking her apart.

"So angry," he whispered against her ear, and the soft blow of air on her heated skin made her shiver so violently she bit her lip to keep from gasping.

"Emira..." He drew out her name slowly, like he had all the time in the world. "I like your moan. I think I’m going to make you do more of it."

She wanted to throw the words back at him. To spit out something sharp and scathing, anything that would wipe that smooth, amused tone from his voice. She really did. But her throat wouldn’t cooperate. Never before had she felt such a need clawing at her, consuming her from the inside out. Even with Prince Kael—when she had thought the bond with him was the most intense thing she’d ever feel—nothing had burned like this.

Just then, sharpness grazed her skin. A sudden sting at her chin made her flinch, her whole body stiffening as she realized—he had bitten her. Not hard enough to break skin, but enough to shock her out of the haze for one breathless second.

"Pay attention, Emira," he whispered softly, the command curling through the air like smoke. His voice was low, patient, but there was no mistaking the edge underneath.

And that was when she understood—he knew. He even knew when her thoughts slipped, when her anger or shame tried to pull her mind away from what he was doing to her body. He knew, and he didn’t like it.

"Ssssorry."

His fingers tightened on her for a minute before his hand moved away... In the next minute, the blanket covering her lower body was thrown away and Emira stiffened once again, feeling exposed.

"So beautiful. You have no idea how beautiful you look like this, tied on my bed, for me to explore to my heart’s content."

His words still hung in the air when his hand descended again, slow, deliberate, as if he wanted her to feel every second of what was coming. Rough fingertips skimmed the side of her hip first, a light touch, almost teasing, before trailing lower.

Emira felt her legs shift restlessly against the sheets as though her own body was betraying her with its response. Her ankles strained against the loose bindings as his fingers traced the curve of her thigh, following it as though he had all the time in the world. Heat pooled low in her stomach, her breath coming faster with each lazy circle he made along her skin.

Her wolf purred again, loud in her head, as if it wanted him to keep going.

"No," she told herself silently, nails biting into her palms. "Don’t you dare want this."

But her legs kept moving, tense and trembling, brushing against the sheets as though that friction alone could save her from the building storm inside.

Then his hand stopped.

Fingers pressed lightly against the inside of her knee. And with one simple, firm motion, he parted her legs.

The sound of her breathing grew louder in the room.

Slowly, inexorably, his hand began its upward path on the inside of her thigh. Every inch he covered made her heart pound harder, her body tightening with the unbearable mix of need and shame. The heat was coiling, surging, pushing her toward something she didn’t want to name.

His fingers were just about to reach her when the words tore out of her.

"Stop." Honestly, she wanted to push herself against him, but she knew, if she did, she would never be able to meet her own eyes...

His hand froze instantly and the stillness was deafening.

For one breathless second, neither of them moved, and then he whispered, "Forgotten your vow already? You don’t want me to touch you?"