Page 81 of Red Queen

“Why are there ravens in our bedchamber?” he asks, looking at the birds.

“I’m the Mistress of Ravens.”

“But you don’t tend to have visits from them, Eleanna.”

I stroke Nyx’s feathers gently. “With my father’s blood in my veins now, I’ve changed. Forever. I think they’re a gift from my lineage, symbols of my family’s crest. They’re bound to me now. My familiars.”

“Your familiars?” Alexandru raises an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting these creatures are here to serve you?”

I meet his gaze. “Not just serve me, but protect. To guide me on the path I must walk.”

He nods slowly. “And what path is that, Eleanna? What do these ravens signify for you?”

“They are a portent of change, Alexandru. Perhaps a break from tradition. I feel a shift within my soul, in the power dynamics within the vampire clans. With their presence, I’m reminded that I’m no longer bound by the expectations of the past.”

Alexandru’s silver eyes soften as he steps closer to me. “You have always been a pillar of strength and resilience, Eleanna. But now, with this newfound connection to your lineage and not your father, and with these creatures by your side, I can sense a transformation in you.”

I take a deep breath, a weight lifting off my shoulders as I allow myself to open up to Alexandru. “Lately, I’ve been grappling with conflicting feelings, with doubts about the past choices I have made. But these ravens—Moros, Erebos, and Nyx—they offer me clarity and purpose.”

A faint smile tugs at the corners of Alexandru’s lips as he reaches out to gently touch one of the ravens perched nearby. “Then I hope they may guide you toward your true destiny, Eleanna. And know that whatever decisions you make, I will stand by your side.”

The words hover between us, and an understanding and unity blossom in my heart. I may be facing an uncertain future filled with darkness and turmoil, but with Alexandru’s devotion and support and the watchful eyes of my familiars, I know I’m ready to re-strategize.

In a whisper laden with lust and heat, he says, “Now, I intend to fuck you until you forget every sorrow that haunts you.”

My heart races, desire igniting within me as I move closer to him. Heat blooms on my cheeks—not from shyness, but from the raw desire his bold words awaken.

“Then take what you want,” I say in a low and even voice as I give myself over to his command.

He cocks his head. “Take?”

I shiver. The softness of his tone is like a lover’s touch, a true leader. One who’s comfortable with power and the knee.

“Yes.”

He approaches. “You with your shiny crown awaiting you, with powerful blood coursing through you, are letting me do what the fuck I want?”

“Because I think that’s how it works, isn’t it? Give and take, weakness and strength, master and slave.”

I’m trying to find the right words, the one that take in us, my realm, how things could be. The world has shifted and taken me with it.

“Eleanna,” he says, his clever hands undress me and with each piece of clothing he peels away from my body, a layer of our former lives falls away too. The fabric pools at my feet, and with it goes the fear, the uncertainty. “I don’t think you could ever be a slave. It’s not in you.”

“I see clearer now, and one of those things is you.” I reach out to take off his clothes but he grabs my hand, raises them to his lips.

“Sometimes I’ll want you doing my bidding, I’ll want it rough and depraved and I think you do too.” He leans in. “And yes, I know what you mean.”

I revel in the sensation of being unveiled before him—no longer just a queen or a warrior but a woman burning with desire. Each touch over my bared flesh stokes the flame within me, and he draws me in, kissing me with a gentle heat that has bite. He puts put my hands on his chest and walks me back, hismouth claiming and reclaiming mine, letting me undress him and soon, there’s nothing left but our naked hunger, our bodies telling the ancient stories of longing and possession.

The kiss grows into the sear of a raging fire, of passion untampered and wild. It’s hungry and it’s mine. Then his lips leave mine, and I’m left gasping for air, my senses reeling from the sheer intensity of his passion.

For a moment I think he’s going to step away, take those hot, strong muscles, the thick erection pushing into me away, but he doesn’t. Instead, it’s a change of tactic.

Alexandru is a cruel master, one who shows no mercy, as he trails his mouth down my throat with nips and sucks that leave a delicious mix of pleasure and pain in their wake. He’s cruel because he knows how to do it just enough leave me aching for more.

I weave my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer as he reaches my breasts. He teases one taut nipple with his teeth, sending shivers through my body until I can’t help but cry out. Then he lavishes the same attention on its twin, drawing moans of ecstasy from deep within me.

Liquid heat pools between my legs, and I clench my thighs, desperate for his cock. Alexandru chuckles, the vibrations teasing my flesh.

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