“Then what is it for?” he asked, clearly confused.
I wasn’t entirely certain he was ready for this admission. But if we were to share a fortress and possibly bedchambers too, then I needed to be transparent with him from the beginning.
“Control is how I derive pleasure,” I admitted while studying him closely. At his befuddled expression I added, “In bed.”
“Oh,” he said as if he understood, but I wanted to be certain.
“Dominating my lovers, manipulating their bodies for my own gratification, and giving or denying them sexual release, all of that excites me,” I told him. There were other idiosyncrasies to my bedsport, but we needn’t delve deeper into it just yet.
“Ohhhh,” he said again as realization dawned. I admired the flush of his face, a soft pink that stained his cheeks and the tops of his pointed ears, the way his breath went shallow and his eyes fluttered.
“Do you have any questions?” I asked.
“Um. Not at the moment.”
“Fair enough.” I credited him for absorbing the information without any blatant judgment. “And in exchange for my hospitality and guidance, I’d like to make a few rules for you too.”
“What sort of rules?” he asked, now sitting at attention. His pulse quickened, calling to me. I had a suspicion as to where his blood was flowing, but I did not endeavor to look.
“One of the rules for your health and safety is that you quit drinking, at least for now, until you’re sure you’ve got it under control.”
He chewed on that for a spell, working through the arguments in his head. “Alright,” he finally said. “Anything else?”
“I’d like to know where you are at all times, especially if you intend to leave my fortress. And I expect you to follow my security protocol that is designed to keep us both safe. As you may know, there have been multiple attempts made on my life, and there is inherent danger in being my betrothed. My duty is to protect you above all else.”
His lips pursed. “Your duty to who?”
“My duty to you, Cedrych.”
“I have a rule for you too, then,” he said, gathering himself.
“Please proceed.”
“I don’t want you fucking anyone else.”
After my initial surprise had passed, I attempted to peel back the layers surrounding that demand. “Explain to me why that’s important to you.”
He sighed as if aggrieved by the request. “If you’re to be my betrothed, even temporarily, and you’re going to give me guidance or whatever, seeing you fuck other people will erode my trust and my confidence in you. And I’d find it humiliating besides.”
“Why is that?”
“It would appear to others as if I couldn’t satisfy you.”
His blush at that admission was so fetching that I wished to capture it on canvas. “The others you speak of are my servants and my guards, all of whom know to be discreet.”
“They’re still people. I wouldn’t like it. I’d end up resenting you for it, even if you don’t intend to fuck me.”
I was proud of his ability to articulate his reasons, all of which made sense to me, but I wished to press him further. “You make it sound as if you have no agency of your own to bed me.”
He gave me a droll look. “If control is whatexcites you, then I imagine you’ll be the one orchestrating the bedroom activities,my lord.”
My canines descended, startling me, and I licked their knife-like edges slowly while considering my response. I tried not to dwell on how much I liked the title,my lord.How I’d like to hear him say it, brokenly, while begging me in the throes of passion for release.
“You’d be right,” I said into the pregnant pause between us, heavy with promise, tense from our negotiation.
“Well?” he persisted.
“I can agree to that, but I would have the same rule for you,” I replied.
