“Say it, Eliel. Tell me you know that I will never touch you without your consent. Say it, please. I need to know you feel safe with me.”
“Of course, I feel safe with you. Even when I was afraid, I felt safe with you. My body just doesn't know better. I have to relearn how to touch someone without it feeling wrong.” I couldn't stop my hands. They lifted on their own to cup hisface. As the King shuddered and closed his eyes, I lowered my forehead to touch his. “I know you will never hurt me. You free me. Even with your arms around me, I don't feel trapped. I just need some time to remember what love is. And then I will be yours.”
Sucking his breath in, the Dragon King shook violently. “Eliel. Oh, fuck. You will be my master before I ever bed you.”
The words rocked me to my core. His master? It finally struck me then—the Dragon King knelt for me. When he offered me control, he wasn't tricking me. He knew it was what I needed, knew it before I did, and he gave it willingly. Easily. As if he were an ordinary man, not the Dragon King of Tabaa. I wanted so badly to give him something in return. I wanted to kneel for him. Take him inside me. Scream his name in passion. I wanted to give him control.
But the mere thought made me tremble.
I couldn't give him all of me yet, but I'd push myself for him. I'd face my fear just to see his approval. So, who was the master here? Did it even matter? Maybe this was how love was supposed to be. Both of us enslaved and both of us freed. Freed! Yes, I needed this too. I needed to give him what he'd given me.
“I don't want to control you, Your Majesty. So, before I can become that, I'll set you free.” And then I pressed my lips to his.
The power of that simple touch swept through me like a thunderstorm. It lashed at my senses and awakened me as if I'd been sleepwalking.Ikissedhim. This was my gift to the King. Mine to give. How magical. Revolutionary! Something bright burst into my mind. Brighter than lust. Pure. Tears cameto my eyes again, but they weren't born of sorrow. They were profound. As I freed him, he freed me.
Beneath my hands and lips, the Dragon King moved only the barest bit, sliding his lips against mine. I could feel the tension radiating up from his shoulders and through his neck. His hands clenched on the cushion on either side of me. I wanted more. Just a little taste. Did I dare?
The tip of my tongue slipped past my lips to lick the seam of his. King Raventar gasped, and I slipped inside him. Tongue against tongue. Undulating. Twining. Shoving playfully. The King groaned, sending the vibrations through my tongue. He tasted of sweetened tea. I inhaled deeply, pulling him into me as I withdrew my tongue. He waited. I darted back in, teasing him, urging him to follow, and coerced him into my mouth.
Another groan, this time from me. My hands slid down to the Dragon King's shoulders. His muscles rippled under my touch, flinching like a startled horse. At my sides, his fists opened and flattened against my flanks. The tips of his fingers dug in. Pulled. I felt as if I were falling into him. The sensation shot through me, launching fear into my chest. I was back in Bara's home, lying on my stomach, the cushioned swing beneath me. His fingers dug into my hips, pulling me onto him, and then he bit my wing.
I jerked away, crying out as my damaged wing bent too far. Eyes wide, I watched desire drain from the King's face, replaced by compassion. His hands went up, palms facing me, and he eased back.
“Eliel, it's me. Raventar. Your Raven. Look at me.”
I let out a shuddering breath and focused on him. “Your Majesty?”
“Raven. Say it.”
“Raven,” I whispered.
“That's it. When we're alone, that's what you call me, agreed? I don't rule here. Here, I belong to you.”
I shook my head, my hand pressed to my lips. “No. No, it's too much. I can't. I told you. I can't take control. I don't know how.”
“All you have to do is tell me what you want.” He slid back onto his seat. “That's it. Taking control doesn't have to mean issuing commands. It doesn't have to involve cruelty. I'm offering it to you because I trust you to treat me with respect. I give you myself in the hopes that you will give yourself to me.”
“And what if I can't?” My face crumpled, and I had to fight back my urge to scream. “I was so close! I felt the touch of . . .”
“What?” he whispered.
“Something beautiful,” I whispered back. “You and me. We could be beautiful.”
The Dragon King grinned. “Yes, we could, and we will be. This is another win, Eliel. Don't be discouraged. I'm not. To the contrary, I'm elated.”
“Why? I might never be able to make love to you.”
“A week ago, you would have said the same about kissing me.” He retrieved my mug and put it in my hands.
The warmth helped to settle me. “But it was just a kiss.”
“Was it?” The King—my Raven, as he called himself—picked up his mug and lifted it to me in salute before sipping.
“No.” I lifted my chin. “No, it wasn't just a kiss. It was a beginning.”
The King's smile was legendary. Something that should be painted or carved in stone. It felt as if it were carved into my heart.
“Yes,” he said. “Yes, it was.”
