Book forgotten, she turns her body toward me, and I mirror the pose.
“Did you…”
I pick up where she trails off. “Fuck anyone? No. I did not.”
Simone blinks at me. “Why?”
I take a deep breath, then let it out slowly. That’s a very good question. And my answer might change our relationship forever. This is all uncharted ground for me. I have never held an interest in a single person this long, not in thousands of years.
“Because of you,” I say in the end. “Because everything pales in comparison. Because the most sensual acts cannot compare to the rush I get from watching you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.”
“Az,” Simone breathes, her gray eyes wide with surprise. “I… I don’t think I can give you what you want. All my life, I’ve been some man’s pretty toy, trapped, used. I don’t think I can find pleasure in… in being intimate anymore.”
Her halting words make me feel like I have a pit in my stomach. Yes, I’m furious at her mistreatment. I’ll send my best spymasters into the human world, find the offenders, and make themsuffer eternal pain for harming what’s mine. But I’m also feeling pain for her, and these feelings are completely new to me.
At the same time, the scent of her arousal deepens. She’s thinking about it, imagining how it would feel to be with me in that way. The knowledge stirs me, bringing my cock to life.
“What if I can change your mind?” I offer slowly. “What if you could find pleasure in being bound?”
“P-pleasure in being bound?” she stutters. “What do you mean?”
I purse my lips, then summon ropes through the ether. Beautiful, silky white shibari ropes made for sensual restraint without pain.
“What do you know about bondage?” I ask her straightforwardly.
Simone sputters, leaning up on one elbow. “Bondage?Tu parles du BDSM?”
“Yes,” I confirm. “I’m talking about BDSM. The art of shibari, to be specific.”
I run my hand over the ropes, winding them around my fingers and testing their give—there is none.
“What if I could trap you more than you’ve ever been, while simultaneously bringing you more pleasure than you’ve ever felt?”
“C’est dingue!” she exclaims, her beautiful face set in lines of outrage. “How could I possibly feel pleasure while trapped when it’s the very thing that keeps me from even wanting it?”
“Trust me,” I say calmly, confidently.
“Trust you? How could I ever trust you?” She shakes her head, a frightened gleam in her eyes. “You could tie me up and hurt me in unimaginable ways.”
I frown at her. “All these months you’ve been at my mercy, and I haven’t hurt you once. Do you think I need to tie you up to do so?”
“No,” she admits after a few seconds of hesitation. “I guess not.”
I lean closer until I feel her warm breath on my face. “Let me show you, little fairy. Tonight will be all about reintroducing you to pleasure and feeling safe.”
Her silence is deafening, the stream the only sound around us.Her scent grows stronger, and I know she’s considering it, but a wounded bird is unpredictable. Minutes pass, and I lose hope that she will even reply. When she finally speaks, I realize I didn’t expect her to actually entertain the idea, another fight being more likely instead.
“Fine,” she breathes, the word so shaky it’s barely recognizable. But there’s a resolve on her face. It’s incredibly powerful. “Do it. Tie me up. Show me.”
12
SIMONE
Ican’t believe I just agreed to this. After everything I’ve been through? After Az has kept me prisoner for months? Why am I making myself so vulnerable with him? The only answer I can find is that I am so tired of being a prisoner to my own memories. I want to let go of the baggage that’s been weighing me down for years.
“You’re certain?” Az asks me, one eyebrow lifted in surprise.
“Yes,” I say, my voice blessedly coming through stronger than I feel. “How do we do this?”
