Chapter 181 Chapter 180
He finally rose from his seat, his gaze now sharpened. "Indeed, I did. I wanted to thank you for your help, as well as berate you for doing such a foolish thing. You know it could have ended badly, right?"
She gulped, the words she wanted to say now stuck in her throat. Heavens, but this man was devilishly beautiful. That long, two-toned hair fit him too well. She itched to run her hands through it, wondered how it would feel. Remembering he had asked a question, she cleared her throat and instantly answered, her cheeks burning.
"I know, and I apologize for being so thoughtless."
"You could have been seriously harmed, and I would have had no recollection of it," he growled, now circling her like a predator would its prey. "Have you forgotten that night when I attacked you in a hurry?" he murmured while standing behind her, his face barely inches from her back.
Mortification filled her as memories of when the wolf attacked resurfaced, and a tremor went through her. Yet another sensation quickly began to overpower the fear running through her veins.
Desire.
She gulped, fisting her dress in her hands. How was she to explain that she had just felt a pull to help him—one that defied any rational thought she might have had?
"Well, you're my friend, and I didn’t want to see you suffer," she croaked, not daring to look at him.
"Friend?" he growled, reaching out to pull away the tendrils that framed her face. Rayena shuddered as his heat seeped into her skin, the embers beneath burning brighter. She bit her lip to stop herself from making any unladylike sound.
He pulled back then, moving to stand in front of her. Tilting his head to the side, he spoke again. "Do you know why I called you?"
Rayena shook her head, her heart thumping. “No, I don’t, Your Majesty.”
He rubbed his chin, fixing her with that piercing stare that seemed to see straight through her soul. Rayena could hardly breathe.
“Well, I need your help.” He announced, his tone instantly serious.
“For what?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“You do know why you were brought to the shifters’ realm, don’t you?”
“Um… to serve you?”
“Yes, but not quite. You must have heard from your friends—and even from me—that I need a female to help satisfy my ruts and tend to one of my basic needs, haven’t you?”
Rayena nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
He leaned forward, lowering himself until he was eye level with her. Rayena couldn’t help but get lost in those cerulean eyes. “Well,” he murmured, “you just might be the perfect candidate for that.”
A shiver ran down her spine at the intensity in his gaze, and her face felt like it was on fire. She sucked in her lower lip, trying to look anywhere else, but he was everywhere, his presence filling the room. The corner of his lips quirked upward before he finally leaned back.
“I don’t know how you managed not to aggravate my beasts with your presence, but now… they’ve taken a liking to you. They need you around, at all costs. What do you say?”
Rayena stared at him, dumbstruck. A part of her wanted to refuse, terrified of what his request might take from her, but another, darker part of her was curious. Curious and thrumming with an excitement she didn’t understand. Her pulse quickened, warmth pooling low in her belly.
Should she really agree to this? Wasn't her plan to lay low?
“If it would help you, Your Majesty,” she whispered, bowing her head, “your wish is my command.”
Something that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle escaped him. A moment later, he was close again, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body.
A finger slid beneath her chin, tilting her face upward until their eyes met. Rayena blinked rapidly, her heart threatening to burst from her chest. His touch trailed from her jaw to her earlobe, then down her nape and across her shoulders, until it hovered dangerously close to the rise and fall of her chest.
“You haven’t done anything like this before, have you?” he growled, his voice laced with the same hunger pulsing through her veins.
She shook her head, too attuned to the heat of his fingers drawing lazy circles on her skin.
“A virgin, then?”
Rayena gasped, shifting back at the bluntness of his tone. He smirked, and she looked away, her face burning.
He leaned in again, one hand wrapping gently but firmly around her throat as he pulled her closer. His breath fanned against her ear as he whispered, “I’ll teach you everything you need to know. Don’t worry.”
A full-body shudder overtook her. Every nerve in her body seemed to tremble, begging for more of his touch. She wanted him to breathe her in again—to devour her like that day in the study—but she clenched her fists instead, holding herself back.
“I’ll prepare you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple, a soft, dangerous promise that sent her soul spiraling.
Her breath hitched.
He drew back slightly. “My other halves aren’t disgusted by your presence anymore,” he said quietly. “That means I have a chance with you.”
Then he stepped away entirely, severing the contact. The loss of his heat made her whimper. She watched him return to his seat, the space between them suddenly feeling too vast.
“H-how will I be prepared?” she asked, twisting her fingers together.
He fixed her with that same sharp stare, voice dropping to a growl.
“Take off your clothes.”
The low timbre of his command bounced off the walls, sending a shiver down her spine.
“W-what?” Rayena stammered, eyes wide.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he said, the tension thickening as the seconds passed.
Rayena swallowed the lump in her throat. Her trembling hands reached for the ribbons at her corset, slowly loosening them until she stood before him in nothing but her undergarments—bare, breathless, and utterly undone.
His gaze raked her, pinching holes through her body. Rayena could scarcely hear her heartbeat over the roaring of blood of her ears.
A low growl slipped from his lips and her body responded, her nipples growing taut behind her chemise. Images from the dreams she had of being intimate with the king flooded her, worsening her need for him.
Xenon was fighting with his own demons as well. If he didn't know better, he would believe that he was having another rut episode. Having Rayena stand there with nothing but a chemise, was causing havoc in his entire system. His dick hardened painfully beneath his breeches, he was thankful for the heavy robes hiding the bulge. Unable to sit still any longer, he rose to his feet with predatory grace, stalking towards her and relishing in the fact that she kept backing away till her back hit the wall. Effectively caging her between, he stared at down, getting high on her scent. His gum throbbed as his canines slipped out.