CHAPTER 177: A TEASE

"You don’t want me to sleep with you, right?" Zyren asked, his voice low and filled with dark amusement, even as Aira stared directly at him. Her eyes locked with his, defiant despite the heat blooming within her, and she shook her head—firm, resolute.

But her conviction wavered as she felt his fingers continue to caress her thighs with deliberate slowness. Each stroke was like fire against her skin, maddening in a way that made her want to shove him off. Her breath caught in her throat, torn between resistance and temptation.

He leaned closer, his gaze lazily tracing her expression. "Lie down," he told her, calm as ever.

But he might as well have been talking to a ghost. Aira sat stiffly, her back straight and her eyes burning with disbelief. Her face twisted with tension as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I’m not—" she started, but her words evaporated.

Because in that exact moment, she felt the brush of his hand between her legs—right at her center. A firm press. Her body betrayed her instantly, pleasure surging through her in a sudden wave that had a raw gasp tearing from her throat before she could stop it.

"Good?" Zyren asked, his lips curling into the faintest of smirks. His voice was like silk, smooth and laced with wickedness as he pressed his fingers again to that spot—again and again—each movement sending a pulse of unbearable pleasure shooting through her.

Her hands gripped the sheets beneath her, knuckles white.

"I... I don’t understand—why are you doing this?" she wanted to ask, but no words came. She bit down hard on her lower lip, her mind screaming at her to stop this madness.

But her body...

Her body wasn’t listening.

Still the pleasure only grew, curling and rising with every motion of his hand. Her back arched slightly as her body leaned into the sensation, a shiver running up her spine. Her breath hitched as she felt his fingers slide into her—hot, slow, deliberate.

"Wait!" she gasped, her voice trembling as her heart thudded violently in her chest. "Zyren..."

But he didn’t stop. His touch was patient, calculating, addictive.

It was crazy—no, it was worse than crazy. It was dangerous.

And yet all she could think of now was more.

Her head tilted back as her lips parted, her thighs trembling slightly as heat built deep within her. Her hands twitched as if unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer.

Then came something else—something softer, warmer. Different.

A new sensation that made her toes curl involuntarily.

Her breathing turned shallow, erratic. She blinked rapidly, dazed, as she tried to piece together what was happening.

And then, horror and shock collided when she looked down.

Zyren’s head was there.

Between her thighs.

Her lips parted in a silent cry, her hands instinctively reaching to push him back—but it was too late. His lips and tongue moved with devastating skill, each flick of his tongue sending her spiraling further. Her vision blurred at the edges, and her entire body went taut, her thighs clenching involuntarily.

"Ah—" A broken, breathless moan escaped her.

She was too stunned, too overwhelmed to resist. Too lost to even think.

Her hips bucked slightly as her legs shook, and when the release came—sharp and consuming—it tore through her like a wildfire, her insides shuddering, her limbs trembling. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her entire body quaked with the intensity of it.

By the time she could breathe again, Zyren was already hovering above her, his mouth capturing hers in a searing kiss that stole what little breath she had left. Her lips moved with his, her tongue brushing his instinctively.

She was too far gone to clamp her mouth shut, too dazed to resist. The kiss was raw and passionate, and she hated how much she wanted it.

And just as quickly, it ended.

She felt him pull away—his fingers sliding out of her with a final, teasing motion that made her body ache in protest.

"I can make you feel much better," he whispered, lips grazing her cheek.

Aira could only blink up at him, her body still shaking, her mind spinning.

But then, without another word, Zyren stood. He walked across the room without looking back, calm and graceful as always. When he reached the door, he opened it, stepped outside, and closed it behind him.

Silence.

Heavy, suffocating silence.

Aira remained on the bed, staring at the ceiling, too stunned to even cry. Her eyes slowly drifted down to her disheveled dress—bunched up around her thighs, exposing too much skin. Her cheeks flushed instantly, blooming a red so deep she might have caught fire from the inside out.

"What the hell did I just let him do to me...?" she whispered to herself.

Shame and frustration flooded her at once.

Then, without thinking, she raised her hand and slapped herself—hard—across the face. The sharp crack echoed in the room, her cheek stinging instantly.

It grounded her.

That was what she needed—to snap out of it. To remember what this was. Who he was.

Zyren. The Vampire King. Her enemy. The monster who murdered her father. Her brother.

And here she was—moaning beneath him. Pleading without words for his touch.

The burn in her cheek couldn’t match the one in her chest.

Without waiting, she threw the blanket off her and stumbled from the bed. She stormed into the bathroom and quickly shed the ruined fabric she wore. Every movement was frantic, angry, almost panicked.

Once inside the tub, she sank into the warm water, hugging her knees to her chest.

The water lapped against her skin, but it couldn’t wash the memory from her body. The throbbing in her cheek was nothing compared to the throbbing still pulsing low in her belly.

Zyren was a vampire king. A killer. And she was supposed to bond with him—soon.

She had done everything to keep her distance. To stay in control. To survive.

Yet here she was. Ruined and restless.

Her heart still racing and yearning for something she knew could never be possible.

’The most he can do is satisfy the desires of my body!’ She thought to herself even as she ground her teeth together to keep the tears from her eyes.

"He’ll never love me," she whispered, staring at her reflection in the water. "He can’t even love himself."

Aware that if she allowed her heart to feel even a tinge of what she knew would happen if they kept sleeping together she would be ruined.

’You just have to sleep with him one more time Aira! Just one!’ She whispered aloud to herself even as she raised her gaze slightly to stare at the walls.

Her fingers clenched in the water, her nails digging into her palms.

And still—still—her heart had raced for him. Her body had responded.

It was disgusting. Confusing. Maddening.

’I might as well get this over with,’ she thought bitterly. All she could do now was pray the bonding ritual would give her something. Anything.

A gift. A power, a strong one.

Anything she could use to protect herself.

Anything she could use to protect Liora.

That was all that mattered now. That was the only thing keeping her from falling into pieces.

After a long while in the tub, when the water had gone lukewarm and the tension in her muscles began to fade, she finally stepped out. She dried herself quickly and put on a fresh dress—something loose and soft—then dragged herself to the bed.

Zyren hadn’t come back.

Of course he hadn’t. He never lingered. He only ever gave enough to get what he wanted.

Her gaze lingered on the door, as if expecting him to return. But the silence told her everything.

Pushing all the curtains closed until the room was completely darkened, Aira crawled into bed and pulled the blanket over herself. Her fingers clutched the edge tightly, eyes staring at the ceiling.

tonight, whenever he deemed it time—he would summon her and she would sleep with him.

The ritual would begin.

And if the gods had any mercy left, she’d gain something from it. Something strong. Something useful.

Something that would let her keep her sister safe—and survive the man whose goal was simply to use her her until there was no part of her left to be used.

Sleep took her, slowly, but not gently.

But even in her dreams, all she could feel were his fingers.

******

Rymora intention had been to follow Aira but after catching the sight of bloodied Werewolves and guards and worse Zyren whom no one dared to even look at after he came out drenched in what could only be black blood- she didn’t dare to and had stayed back.

Waiting patiently for when Zyren left heading towards the wing that housed the Werewolves before she moved to make her way to Aira’s room too curious to not find out what could possibly have happened.

But most importantly she had been looking for a chance to meet Gregor whom had come with the Werewolf king’s entourage worried that they would be leaving soon.

But she had just taking a couple of steps towards the stairs when she heard a noise and turned around only to freeze as she caught sight of Lord Drehk’s Butler aware of the reason why someone so important would suddenly be there.

Her eyes widening in surprise even as she did my dare to continue on her way instantly nodding to him as she turned to follow him.

Her heart racing a bit at the thought of seeing Lord Drehk again, as she realized that she wasn’t as conflicted as before.