CHAPTER 63: LION’S FLAME

Ayame and Rouhuo lay together under the blanket. Her body still carried the echoes of last night; her arms ached a little. Her lips were tired from all the kisses, and along her back she could still feel the faintly burning marks from Rouhuo’s claws, left from their heated passion, with equally scorching hickeys on her neck.

How am I supposed to hide all of this from Lan Yue? Only two days left until our trip, I doubt it will all fade by then. Rouhuo left such deep marks on my back and neck that I don’t know if regular makeup will even cover them.

Ayame furrowed her brow and turned on her side, looking at the sleeping Rouhuo.

First, her eyes wandered over her hair - light, fluffy, slightly tousled from their passionate night together. Then she looked with desire at her strong, warm arms, and finally... her face.

Rouhuo slept with a look of complete satisfaction, like a predator after a successful hunt. Her half-lion ears twitched at faint sounds from outside, but it didn’t wake her at all. She just murmured under her breath, stretched, and rolled onto her side, accidentally brushing Ayame’s thigh with her knee.

Ayame trembled with desire.

"Rouhuo..." she whispered, not really knowing why. Maybe out of habit. Or maybe because it still didn’t feel real that what had happened between them last night actually happened.

The half-lioness moved slightly, muttered something indistinct, and after a moment opened one eye. At first, she looked completely lost, still in the angelic pleasure of yesterday, but the next second her gaze landed on Ayame... and she smiled widely, almost too confidently.

"Good morning, my lady," she said in a half-teasing voice.

Ayame shivered with excitement. Rouhuo’s morning voice was lower and raspier than usual.

"G-good morning," she muttered, feeling her face heat up instantly.

Rouhuo lay on her back, stretching like a big cat.

"Haven’t slept this well in a long time," she said, satisfied. "And you?"

"Me too. Ugh, Rouhuo, did you really have to go that wild last night? What if Lan Yue finds out? It’s gonna be hard to cover all of this."

"Huh?" Rouhuo replied, confused. "What do you mean?"

Ayame turned her back to her, showing the claw marks, then turned back, slightly tilting her neck to show her two big, bluish hickeys.

"That. Do you really want our relationship to end before it even gets going?"

"Sorry, my lady," Rouhuo replied, half-mocking. "But you didn’t seem to mind last night," she added, smiling teasingly.

"That doesn’t change anything!"

Rouhuo chuckled softly and pulled back the blanket, revealing the gentle curves of her abs and the other features of her sculpted, muscular body. Ayame’s gaze focused on her six-pack, unable to look away.

"You’re looking at me like you want me so badly" the half-lioness purred quietly, moving closer and whispering directly in her ear. "Stop, or I’ll think you want a round two, right before our scheduled meeting with the others and before our walk in the mountains. At least no one will see it on you. Otherwise, I’d say you’d feel so good that you wouldn’t last..." Rouhuo bit her tongue.

"Wouldn’t last what?" Ayame replied with a slightly teasing smirk.

"Nothing," the half-lioness said, then kissed her hard, tongue entwined, pressing against her. "You can’t hide anything from me anymore, my lady," Rouhuo said seductively. "I’ve heard the most intimate thing a person can hear from another... your moans at night."

"I-I wasn’t moaning that loud!" Ayame replied, slightly flushed.

Rouhuo grinned triumphantly.

"Oh, my lady, if I could, I’d fall asleep to those sounds every night."

Ayame puffed her cheek and hit Rouhuo’s shoulder - not hard, more instinctively, like someone embarrassed.

"You’re terrible! You really should think about what you did last night-"

"You’re so sweet, my lady, when you say all those things," she replied, pulling her closer.

Ayame was about to respond, but Rouhuo, in one smooth motion, dove under the blanket, kissing her body. Closing her eyes and focusing on the movement of Rouhuo’s tongue, Ayame began to breathe heavily, quietly moaning - she couldn’t help it, feeling completely blissful under her touch.

After a while, Rouhuo pulled back and rested her head on Ayame’s shoulder as if it had always been her place. Ayame was coming back to herself - somewhere else in her mind, still feeling the warmth of her breath in places she never imagined showing anyone but Lan Yue.

"Rouhuo..." Ayame whispered. "I really have to hide these marks. Lan Yue... he’ll notice immediately."

Rouhuo lifted her head and looked up at her, that one, slightly predatory eye where Ayame saw everything - fire, certainty, and above all: no fear.

"I’m not saying it’ll be easy," she said more seriously. "But I won’t leave you alone with this. I’ll help you cover them. And I’ll style your hair so the marks won’t show. You know how many times I’ve had to hide bruises from fieldwork or from bumpin into equipment?" She chuckled. "Had to get good at it fast, or people would think I’m clumsy, hehe."

Ayame smiled faintly.

"These aren’t normal bruises."

"Maybe they are," the half-lioness said, running a hand over her shoulder. "Just... a different kind of effort."

Ayame shot her a look that said, I might bite you any second now. Rouhuo cleared her throat, as if trying to stop herself from saying something suggestive again.

"I don’t recognize you, Rouhuo. I can’t believe you changed so much in just one night."

"Believe it, my lady," she said, kissing Ayame and pushing her onto her side.

Ayame barely noticed what was happening. In a split second, she was under Rouhuo, the lioness on top, supported by her strong arms, looking at her with desire but also with a teasing smile. Ayame blushed as if it were her first time being held.

What a stupid reaction. I did this because I wanted to, we both agreed, and this is the start of our love, so why is my heart racing like I’m doing something improper that I enjoy?

Maybe we loved each other before, not just as friends, but neither of us realized it?I ’m blushing so pathetically, and we spent the night together, and now we’re in this position. Shouldn’t I be the dominant one?

There’s something... dangerously thrilling about letting myself be dominated by my servant. I never thought I’d enjoy it this much, or even have these desires - hidden somewhere all this time.

"Are you okay?" Rouhuo asked, looking at Ayame’s flushed face.

"Yes. Rouhuo... I just realized that when we go back to the palace, nothing will be like before. And if Yuecheng comes back, which will probably happen soon, we’ll have to hide not just from my husband, but also from my son, which will be hard because I often want to be near him."

"Ayame, Yuecheng has always walked his own path, and nothing’s happened to him. Probably thanks to that voice he hears, the one you call Hori..."

"Hoshizuma. That’s the name of one of the beings. You should remember, you were there."

Rouhuo shrugged.

"My memory for that stuff is bad. But I remember exactly where you like to be touched the most," she said with the same confident, half-desired, half-playful smirk.

"Rouhuo, take this seriously-"

"Ayame, you don’t need to worry. When Yuecheng goes for a walk or to the library on his path, we’ll go on ours - full of love and desire, right?"

Ayame didn’t respond. She was too shy to admit it, but at the same time, she wanted to.

"Who would’ve thought that such a proud and tough queen would be so soft and pliable in the arms of a regular maid, especially a half-beast," Rouhuo said.

"Oh, please! Enough teasing, just kiss me already, you dummy!"

"Your wish is my command, my lady," she said with a smile, then kissed Ayame hard, holding one of her hands even tighter.

Ayame felt so helpless under Rouhuo... and it felt so good. She felt the weight of someone taller, much stronger, over her sculpted, visible muscles. She knew after all this they’d have to return to normal - Rouhuo calm and quiet, Ayame the dominant one in conversation, in making decisions, and other important things they would share.

But Ayame knew this was their one truth - right here, right now. Both of them discovered new truths about themselves.

Rouhuo, as if reading her thoughts, tightened her hold and rested her forehead against Ayame’s.

"You know..." she murmured, no longer teasing, "I can go back to being the quiet servant I was yesterday morning. Pretend nothing has changed. But... I won’t lie, Ayame. I can’t look at you the way I did before."

Ayame blinked, surprised by her sudden honesty.

"So... how do you see me now?" she asked softly. "And how do you want to see me?"

Before answering, Rouhuo kissed her as hard as she could.

"Like someone I want to protect. Someone I want to touch. Someone I miss, even when they’re right here with me." She smiled brightly.

Ayame felt something inside her soften even more. Suddenly all thoughts of covering marks, Lan Yue, the palace, disappeared. It was just her and Rouhuo.

Two women who had crossed a line they couldn’t come back from without leaving something behind.

She wrapped her arms around Rouhuo’s neck and pulled her close.

"I hope returning to that fake normality won’t hurt you. It might be hard with my position and everything around me, but... I’ll try not to hurt you, Rouhuo."

"If that’s what you really want," the lioness whispered seductively, "then give yourself to me just like you did yesterday."

Flushed, Ayame nodded, then felt Rouhuo’s fingers tracing over her body, reaching lower and lower...