Chapter 22: Torture [Part 3]

Chapter 22. Torture [Part 3]

Ariel stared at me. "A... date?"

"Yes."

Her brows knitted together as though I’d just proposed a particularly suspicious magical experiment. "You mean... buying supplies for your ritual?"

I closed my eyes.

Then exhaled.

Right.

Why had I expected anything else?

Rey’s definition of ’going out with his wife’ had apparently been dragging her through markets while buying herbs, monster organs, mana crystals, forbidden inks, suspicious powders, and whatever other horrifying ingredients his latest attempt at curing the curse required.

Romance.

Truly.

The man had five wives and somehow possessed less dating experience than I did.

And I died single.

That was impressive.

I opened my eyes.

My fingers rose and traced gently across her lips.

Her breath caught.

Our eyes locked.

"No." I let the word settle between us. "A real date."

Her eyes widened slightly.

"No rituals. No ingredients. No curse research. No dragging you around while I stare at magical items for three hours."

A tiny smile appeared on her lips.

I narrowed my eyes. ’Did Rey Valen actually do that?’

She remained suspiciously silent.

Oh, gods.

I had.

I rubbed my thumb along her lower lip and leaned closer.

"Let’s say... I need to compensate you for what I did today."

Her cheeks immediately warmed.

Ariel’s eyes slipped away from mine. "Um... If you want to compensate me..." She stopped. Her blush deepened. "I prefer something else."

I stared at her. "What is it?"

Ariel’s entire face turned red. "I..." Her fingers curled against my chest. "I want more."

My brain stopped. Completely.

Ariel apparently realized exactly how that sounded because her face went from pink to a shade that could probably compete with Seris’s hair.

"I mean—" I remained silent. "I want to feel you more."

...

Oh.

A chuckle escaped me before I could stop it.

Ariel immediately poked my chest. "Don’t tease me!"

That only made it worse.

She looked genuinely offended now, which would have been far more intimidating if she wasn’t hiding half her face against my shoulder.

"I used all my courage to say it," she muttered. "I’m going to die of embarrassment."

Cute.

Far too cute.

This woman had willingly walked into a sacrificial formation earlier today prepared to die for Rey Valen without blinking, yet asking her own husband for affection apparently represented the greater challenge.

The world made absolutely no sense.

I caught the finger she’d been using to assault my chest.

"Hm..." I deliberately stretched the sound.

Her eyes narrowed. "Rey."

"Fine." I kissed her fingertip. "If you want more..."

Her irritation disappeared immediately.

I almost laughed again. "But tomorrow, you still have a date with me."

She blinked. "You’re still taking me?

"No negotiations." I leaned closer. My lips stopped beside her ear. "And since you said it like that..."

Ariel became perfectly still.

My voice dropped.

Low.

Teasing.

Dangerous enough that I felt her shiver against me.

"I suppose you’ll have to reward me by being a little less shy this time... Ariel."

I dragged her name out deliberately.

She sucked in a breath. "R-Rey..."

That reaction.

I liked that reaction.

My eyes moved toward the headboard.

The chains were still there.

The same chains that, minutes ago, had made something ugly twist inside me because I understood what they represented.

Pain.

Fear.

Ariel willingly enduring Rey’s curse because she believed suffering for him was preferable to watching him become a murderer.

I hated that meaning.

So perhaps...

They needed a new one.

My hand moved.

Ariel barely had time to notice before I caught both her wrists.

Her eyes widened.

One smooth motion carried her backward against the pillows.

The chain shifted.

Metal whispered against the bedframe.

-Clink!

Ariel froze. "R-Rey?"

I secured her wrists above her carefully.

Loose enough not to hurt.

Firm enough that when she instinctively pulled, the chain answered with another soft metallic sound.

Her breath caught.

Surprise flashed across her face.

Then uncertainty.

Then something warmer.

I watched every change.

This wasn’t the cursed Rey’s chamber anymore.

And those chains weren’t going to mean what they used to mean.

I knelt over her, her body framed between my legs.

Her blue hair spilled across the pillow.

Her cheeks were burning.

Her breathing had quickened.

Without her hands available to hide behind, Ariel suddenly seemed acutely aware of every inch of herself.

She tried to turn her face away.

I caught her chin. "No. Look at me."

She did.

Slowly.

"Don’t ever close your eyes when I am touching you. I want to see everything," I murmured. My fingers traced the curve of her jaw. "I want you to see me, too."

Her lower lip trembled.

She nodded.

This time I wasn’t starting gently. My hands moved to her breasts, cupping them. I squeezed them gently at first, then harder. Her back arched off the bed, pushing herself further into my hands. My thumbs brushed over her tips, which were already hard and sensitive.

I leaned down and took one into my mouth, sucking gently, then harder, my tongue swirling around the sensitive bud. Her back arched further, a soft cry escaping her lips. Her hands, still bound by the chains, instinctively tried to reach for me, but the metal held her fast.

My other hand continued its exploration, sliding down her stomach. Her skin was warm, almost feverish beneath my touch. I could feel the fine tremors that ran through her.

My fingers reached her core.

She was wet.

Soaking.

I traced her slick folds, my touch light, teasing. I could feel her body tense, a silent plea for more. I circled her clit with my thumb, applying just enough pressure to make her gasp.

Her hips lifted off the bed, seeking more contact, more friction. A soft, desperate whimper escaped her lips.

I chuckled, a dark, rumbling sound. "Patience, Ariel. All good things come to those who wait."

But I was not a patient man.

Not when it came to her.

I plunged two fingers inside her, my movements swift and sure. Her body clenched around me, a tight, wet heat that made my own arousal spike. I curled my fingers, searching for that special spot inside her.

"AHN!" she cried out, her back arching sharply off the bed. I had found it.

I began to move my fingers, a slow, deliberate rhythm that had her panting and writhing beneath me. My thumb continued its torment on her clit, circling and stroking, building the pleasure to an almost unbearable peak.

Her hands pulled against the chains, the metal groaning in protest. She was trapped, completely at my mercy, and the thought sent a fresh wave of possessiveness through me.

I loved seeing her like this.

Completely undone.

Completely mine.

I could feel the tension in her body, the way her muscles tightened and coiled like a spring. I knew she was close. So close.

But then I stopped. I unplugged my fingers from her.

She whined in protest. A frustrated, desperate sound that was music to my ears. "Rey... ah... I want more..." she begged. "Please... Please..."

I leaned down, my lips brushing against her ear. "Tell me what you want, Ariel," I murmured, my voice a low growl. "Tell me exactly what you want me to do to you."

Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of crimson. She was shy. Even now, bound and helpless, she was still shy.

"I..." she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "I want... you."

A small smile touched my lips. "You have me, Ariel. All of me."

She shook her head, her blue hair spilling across the pillow. "No. I want... all of you. Inside me."

"But I’m not hard yet..." I teased. "You need to make me hard first." I pressed my body against hers, my face buried in the crook of her neck, my breath hot against her skin. "Use your body. Make me hard for you."

I took one of her hands off the chain. "Make me wet."