“A ritual oil,” he murmured before I could ask the question. “It will dull the burning and help you relax. For now, just enjoy it. I will tell you before the pain comes.”
“Okay,” I breathed. “I’ll try.”
When Sitri touched my back, I jumped. As promised, his hands brought no pain. Only warmth. I allowed my muscles to slacken as he worked the oil into my skin. It flooded the air with its pleasant aroma, reminiscent of roses, vanilla, and something like maple syrup. A low, satisfied groan escaped my lips. The Prince chuckled as he watched me come undone.
Diligently, he spread the fragrant oil over my back, my shoulders, along my waist, and towards the curves of my hips. Everywhere it touched, my skin began tingling. It wasn’t as unpleasant as I’d expected. I almost found myself enjoying it, reveling in my closeness to the Prince, letting him lull me, hypnotize me.
And then came a hiss, followed by the scent of smoke. It rose above the sweet odors that bathed me, pulling me from the gentle moment, serving as a reminder of what I was here for—not to enjoy his tenderness, but to surrender my soul all over again.
“This will be the hard part. I promise to be quick,” Sitri said. “Are you quite certain you want this?”
“I’m sure,” I murmured, taking a fistful of blankets and holding on for dear life. “Do it, Sitri. I’m ready.”
“Be still, then,darling,” he whispered.
He sounded as if entranced. The heat grew stronger with every passing moment until I noticed nothing else. I tightened my hold on the comforter, my hands trembling.
At last, the flame touched my skin and set my nerves alight.
White-hot pain lanced through me as fire met my shoulder. My muscles locked. My teeth clenched tight, and a guttural growl escaped my throat. Sitri drew a sharp breath behind me. He hesitated, stalling for only a moment before drawing the burn across my back. It radiated through me, searing the markings into me, burning my body as surely as it would scorch the humanity from my soul. Sweat beaded on my skin, stinging in my wounds, seizing the air in my lungs.
It was all too much.
Just when I thought I could no longer contain my scream, the heat dissipated. Even with the fire gone, my back throbbed from the echoes of its intensity. I gasped for breath, flinched as something brushed my arm, then sighed in relief. Sitri’s caress meant me no harm. I went lax with a whimper.
“Breathe,” he whispered, stroking my shoulder. “Are you alright, darling? I won’t start again until you’ve calmed.”
“I… I’m okay. I think.”
The words proved difficult to form—not because of the pain throbbing on my back, but because of the rush that seized me in its wake. My head spun, dizzy and distant, though I was still present in my body, still grounded by Sitri’s touch. Fog crept into my mind. It carried weightlessness and warmth, like a high without drugs. I loosened my hands, feeling them shift as if they weren’t my own, marveling at the strangeness of it.
I hadn’t expected the sensation. I couldn’t explain it, but right now, I didn’t need to. It lulled me into a safe, peaceful dissociation, separating me from my fear and pain. My eyes drifted closed, and I gave myself over to it without a second thought.
“What an interesting reaction,” Sitri said. “Do you mindif I explore it further?”
I shook my head, granting the Prince permission. One of his well-oiled hands slid down my backside. I arched into his touch, as much as his weight atop me would allow, and his fingers slipped between my thighs. There, they found moisture. Heat rose on my cheeks. Sitri gave a low hum.
The Prince’s free hand left my arm. His fingertips traced over the burns he’d inflicted. Every brush against them sent aching twinges straight to my core. I gasped.The pain cut right through my daze, igniting a different kind of burning seated deep between my hips. Sitri’s muscles flexed against me. He laughed.
“You really are full of surprises, aren’t you, darling?”
My eyes opened. If Sitri was surprised, then this was something new, unusual—something I couldn’t quite understand with my mind muddled and my heart still pounding.
“Are you ready to start again?” he asked.
“M-hm, I’m ready.”
And I was—even as the uncomfortable heat returned. Sitri wouldn’t harm me, not in any way I couldn’t handle. Knowing that was enough for me to surrender to the moment, accept this sacred ritual, and embrace the coming pain.
Fire laced with magic tore through my body, casting all that I was into righteous hellfire. It smoldered on my skin, burned across my back until I couldn’t tell where the flames ended and I began. It should have hurt, but it didn’t. Not in the way I’d expected.
This was a new feeling, something not quite pleasure or pain, more intense than anything I’d ever experienced before.
Sitri’s guiding hand met my arm, tethering me in the raging sea of sensations. It crept downwards, finding the seal that marked me. Blissful agony spread from his fingers, deep into muscle and bone, into Vapula’s bindings.
I trembled, my muscles tensed until they threatened to tear me apart. Sinew stood from my skin, taut and tortured, and I knew it was my voice screaming out for salvation. I didn’t choose to speak—the sound came on its own. Demonic magic rushed into me, burned through my veins, tore Vapula’s influence from my soul. It was vicious. Possessive.Hungry.The pain was a reminder that I existed. I clung to it for all it was worth.
Crimson light flared on my back, painting the shadow of my agonized form on the headboard as Sitri laid claim to all I was. His power poured into my very being, changing me. Transforming me.
