Page 52 of The Time Of Kings

“Now I wish for you to hold onto the post, and don’t let go until I ask it of you. Can you do that?”

Again, I nodded. Something he allowed, but the Draven back in my time would have demanded my words.

I felt his hands run down the length of my back, and I would have freely laughed and teased him had this beenmy Draven.Teased him when asking whether or not he was looking for a weak spot, as I knew what was coming next. Hence why he didn’t want me to watch.

“Now hold very still,” he told me firmly, and I was unable to help my body’s shiver at the sound of his commanding voice. But then I felt a heavy weight of his palm at my shoulder before he squeezed me there. His warning only added to the dark lust that was building due to his dominance over me.

“Be still, girl.”

I nodded again at his growl of words, trying to do as I was told. Something that was definitely harder when all I wanted was for him to restrain me like so many times I had experienced before. Because I had certainly experienced many of Draven’s kinks in the bedroom during our time together, and tying me up was only one of them. I had to confess though, that my favourite was when he took it upon himself to tie me to his own body in some way. As I would often find myself waking in the night to find my body restrained to his, turning me on enough that I would purposely wake him when faking my efforts to get away. Something that always ended in my being sexually dominated as he growled down at me, calling me his prisoner.

As for me,I loved every dirty second of it.

Just like I did now, despite tensing the second I heard the tearing sound. He had used his claws… I knew the signs by now, for he had little patience when it came to getting me naked.

Over the years, I had lost more clothes and underwear this way than I could count. Which also meant that I long ago given up complaining. Because if there was something I particularly liked or Draven liked, I was now in the habit of buying more than one. In fact, Draven usually knew when I was down to my last one, with the way that I would quickly strip out of it before coming anywhere near him. Something he always chuckled about after sex or smirked about during the not so sexy stripshow. The one where I practically looked like I was trying to do some bad yoga pose as I tore the thing over my head and tossed it.

But as for this dress, well he could have made confetti out of it for all I cared, as I had never felt anything so uncomfortable in my entire life. And this coming from someone who had worn her fair share of amour.

Of course, I also knew that when my dress started to fall away from me, the weight of the heavy fabric easily pulling it from my shoulders, it would have looked odd not saying anything.

“How did you…” I started to ask when I was suddenly spun back to face him, now only standing there in my corset and my knickers. A pair I’d had the good sense to wash. Because I didn’t care if it was 1799, there was no way I was wearing bloomers!

“I have my ways,”he told me as he scanned down the length of me, showing me just what he thought of the sight when purple flashed in his dark eyes. It was a slow and leisurely look that, I swear, should have had the power to make my corset combust into a poof of smoke.

“Gods, you are so beautiful,” he said, his words husky and heavily coated with desire. The thick lengths of material were all still puffed up around my ankles, as if I was now standing on a silky purple cloud. One he was intent on plucking me from as he picked me up with a single arm banded around my waist.

“You do that as if I weigh nothing at all?” I questioned, again trying to focus on the things that should be a challenge, if not impossible. Like when he closed the door earlier with his mind, I knew it would look odd if I didn’t mention things as a mortal would. A mortal that was supposed to know nothing of his world. Which did beg the question, how and when would he eventually tell me?

Knowing Draven and his royal high-handedness, then I guessed it would be after he had married me. After he had secured me somewhere so I had no chance of escape.

And speaking of no escape… he lowered me to the bed and was quick to…

Cageme in with his arms.

22

TAKING CHARGE

DRAVEN

When I lowered her to my bed I became transfixed. But then I was also fooling myself, for in truth, I had been transfixed from the very first moment I saw her. Hence why I struggled so. For I was in new territory here, and I knew that, for her sake, I needed to slow down slightly. I needed to take my time in getting to the place where I wanted our courtship to find its fruition, and therefore walk its final destination…down the aisle.Making her my wife was the only way for me to relax, knowing that she would see herself as being mine under the eyes of God.

This also meant situating her in my life so completely, that when the fated time came to reveal my true nature, she would not be so inclined to run. Especially if she had nowhere to run to. It was a bold and tyrannical move on my part, this was true, but it could not be helped. For I needed to be assured that she would not slip through my fingers when trying to escape me, if she indeed tried to run from my world. Then, and only then, would I be free to tie her to me for all eternity. A place I was most eagerto get to, hence why slowing down was like convincing the devil he needed no more souls to torture…an impossible task.

To most men in my position, it would seem as if I had lost myself to madness by wanting to marry a woman I had only met that day. But they did not know me.

They did not know who I was.

Nor did she.

The nagging guilt picked away at me like never before. Because I knew what I was. That I was a bastard in the face of what I was about to do to her, and before she knew the real me. I knew that she currently had a half Demon in bed with her, about to claim her maiden head. But what was the alternative? For me to confess what I was and for her to run screaming from my bedchambers in hysterics.

Meaning what choice did I have? For I needed her to fall in love with me first. This so as I could be assured in revealing my true nature would not have her recoiling in fear of me. Hence why I continued with my plan to marry her first…it was the only way.

Then why was it I felt such heavy guilt whereas the emotion had never ailed me before? Because I was quickly falling in love with the Goddess now spread out beneath me, that was why. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew it was far more than just the prophecy. I had never been challenged so much by a female in all my life, my sister not included, of course.

Catherine was like two sides of the coin. Shy and nervous one moment and the next, brave enough to speak her mind and grant me a lashing with her tongue. For she had a quick wit I had never come across before. One I certainly didn’t think I would appreciate in a woman, or find it so arousing at that. With it came an adorable beauty, not just her obvious attributes, but more in the way that she bit her bottom lip.

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