Page 54 of Red Queen

We exit the mansion, and the weight of the mandrake root in my satchel feels inconsequential to the weight of the world lifting from my shoulders. My mind races with thoughts of trust and love toward Eleanna, foreign sensations that have long been strangers to my heart. In this moment, beneath the blood moon and the whispering winds of the Witching Vale, I allow myself to entertain the idea of a future different from the one I had resigned myself to—one filled with more than duty and battle, with her.

Eleanna’s steps are sure and steady next to mine, her presence a constant source of strength. Our alliance, born of necessity, has evolved into a bond that is both formidable and fragile—a paradox only the heart can understand.

I’d love to think it’s our sex games, the lessons I’m trying to show her, that submission and compromise can reap pleasure, and doesn’t have to mean giving in. I can talk to her in sex. We’ve always had that. And now…

Does she know when I make her submit, I submit to her? I hold back to bring her to the brink? That it’s all give and take andforging a path as we go? It’s how she needs to rule and I think—hope—she’s beginning to understand.

I would like our world, our deal, to not be a deal, but something she wants. We could bring a lot to the other, and she in turn could bring a bright future to the people.

But I tuck the thoughts down. The mission needs to succeed first.

As we make our way from the mansion, the cold tendrils of the night seem less daunting and the path ahead less ominous with Eleanna at my side.

We arrive at my home, a fortress of stone and mortar that has stood the test of time. When we enter through the heavy oak doors, I am cognizant of the fact that this is where I’ve been seeking refuge for centuries, to escape the demons of my past, and now, it’s also where I’ll be sharing intimate moments with Eleanna when we’re not at court. Or in the castle. When, not if.

I once ran here away from her. And now? The irony doesn’t escape me.

The chill of winter fades as we step inside, replaced by the warmth of the fireplace and the familiar scent of leather-bound tomes and aged wood. The comfort of my home envelops me like a second skin, but tonight, it feels different. Yes, Eleanna now shares my fortress and my bed, her presence transforming the space into something more than just a refuge. It has become a haven, a sanctuary for two weary warriors, and for a fleeting moment, I allow myself to imagine what it could be like if this was our shared life, our shared future.

As soon as Eleanna and I enter my bedchamber, our pent-up passion ignites, a flame needing fuel. Battle has a way of stoking fires, and the one we had no different. The intensity of our emotions overwhelms us, and we are swept away by the wave of desire that has been building between us since our first encounter.

Our eyes lock, and the same hunger I feel for her is reflected in her gaze.

Eleanna’s red hair falls in waves around her face, the firelight casting a golden glow on her skin. Her lips, full and inviting, part slightly as she draws in a breath, and I can’t resist her any longer. No games, just her and me and this.

Her hand tremble as she caresses my face, tracing the lines of my jaw, my lips. She shudders as her gaze meets mine again. With that single look, I’m undone.

Taking her in my arms, I pull her close and press into her. Heat seeps from her body into mine, and it’s as if the world around us ceases to exist. I don’t want to play any game. I just want her.

I lower my head, brushing my lips against hers, a featherlight touch that sends a shiver down my spine. Her eyes flutter shut, and I deepen the kiss, my tongue seeking hers. She’s divinity itself. Hot and wet and full of secrets just for me. I trace a line down her spine as we kiss.

I can feel her need, her hunger, matching my own.

The fire within me rages, burning brighter with each kiss, each touch.

Our tongues tangle, breaths quickening, and I can taste the sweetness of her passion on my lips. I want to give her everything she desires. My heart pounds as we move toward the bed, knowing this isn’t just a physical encounter.

We tumble onto the bed, my need almost overwhelming. I glide my fingers through the soft material of her ruby-red velvet dress and, with a powerful tug, tear it away from her body, revealing her exquisite nakedness. The sight of her flawless skin stokes the passion that courses through my veins, building it into a raging inferno.

Our lips collide again, and it’s like sealing a pact—not just of desire, which crackles between us like a live wire, but of hunger, need, something raw and lustful. Something new.

Her skin’s silk, alive and as I slide my fingertips over her, it sets ablaze a different desire in me, one that reaches deep into realms forgotten, and that fire spreads throughout my being, marking me with a longing so fierce it feels as if I’ll never be satiated.

She traces the outline of my hardened erection through my pants, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine. I move down to her nipples, sucking and biting gently, causing her to moan softly. Gripping the back of my head, she guides my lips back to her mouth, our passionate kisses explode into a sweetness dipped in hunger and raw need, and I can’t get enough of her heat and taste, the stroke of her tongue.

I strip, getting rid of the last barrier between us. Perhaps tomorrow the old ones will rise from their ashes, but for now the physical ones of clothing and the emotional ones that lock her heart and true spirit are gone, and it’s her and me. Together. I’m greedy in my need to dive in and take it all, whatever I can get.

She wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me closer to her, and heat radiates from her core. I slide my hand between her legs and rub her clitoris in circles with my thumb, and she arches her back in pleasure. Her grip on my head tightens, and she whimpers my name, her voice hoarse with desire.

I pull back slightly and slowly enter her, savoring the moment, her hot canal as it stretches for me, the absolute nakedness. Just the elemental act intertwined with emotions. And fuck she feels so good. The tightness of her pussy envelops my erect cock as I push in to the hilt, rocking in her, and she gasps, digging her nails into my back. I start to move and she moves with me, in sync, our rhythm becoming faster with each thrust.

The keening ache of arousal and her everywhere, under me, invading all my senses, the rightness of it pushes me harder, the rock of her hips meeting me thrust for thrust a special little thrill. She starts to pulsate, then spasm, as she comes, sending me rocketing over that edge to join her in absolute ecstasy.

Both of us panting heavily when we come back down, we collapse onto the bed. The sheets are soaked with sweat, and our heartbeats pounding in erratic unison. We lie there, entwined, our skin still glistening with sweat, basking in the afterglow of our passionate union.

The gods themselves only know if this is a beginning or a freak moment out of time.

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