Page 17 of Bred By the Emperor

A burly man in a black suit, one of his guards, appears beside us. “Go with her, sir. We’ll handle this.”

I can see the way my husband is torn between wanting to fight and wanting to stay with me, so I grab him by the shirt and drag him in after me. The guard closes us inside. The lock clicks electronically into place.

“What is this place?” I stare around the barren room. In one corner is a cot. Standing against the opposite wall is a row of shelves with survival gear—boxed meals, water, a microwave, garbage bags, gloves, a medical kit, sleeping bags, guns, etc.

“A safe room,” he says, taking my face between his palms. “Are you hurt?”

“No. I’m fine. But the others—what about your sons⁠—”

“You are the only one who matters, Lili.” His mouth crashes down on mine. In the back of my mind, an alarm bell rings, but it’s hard to hear over the cacophony of sensations rolling through my body. He is desperate to touch me. I know he needs reassurance that I’m safe, but he is the emperor. Even on his wedding day, he cannot simply ignore his people during an attack.

Yet that concern recedes into the distant corners of my mind. We’re finally alone—and I am so, so ready to lose my v-card, even if it happens in a bunker.

Chapter 12

Liliviere

The way Malakai is touching me makes me writhe with delicious need. I’ve wanted him so badly from the first moment we met. I want his hands on my body, making me feel all those intense things that I can only dream of when I’m pleasuring myself.

All my life, I believed I would have to marry a man I didn’t want. A political match for the sake of the kingdom. The idea that I could have this—his big hands on my ass, tangled in my hair, fumbling with the zipper on my reception dress and drawing the zipper down—these were fantasies I hardly dared to indulge.

The spark that lit between us when we met this morning rages through me like a wildfire. Between my legs, I’m drenched with need.

“I can’t get this fucking zipper down,” he growls impatiently.

“Tear it off me,” I whimper. I need his rough hands on my bare skin now. This instant. Malakai releases me abruptly. He spins me around and pushes me up against the wall. I brace myself with both hands against the cement bricks. The cold, rough surface is a sharp contrast to his hot hands at my back.

“Tell me you want this,” he demands roughly.

“Please, Malakai.” I hear the click of steel and feel the press of a blade at the base of my neck. He’s careful not to nick my skin with that wickedly sharp knife as he slices down one side of the zipper. A shiver rolls through my body. His body is tense at my back. He tosses the knife aside. It falls with a clatter. I barely register the sound as his lips meet my nape. His teeth close over my sensitive skin. I moan.

“You want me to fuck you in this safe room, Princess?” He fills his hands with my breasts, squeezing through the white lace corset cups.

“Yes, I do.” I step out of the ruined reception dress and kick it aside, turning to face him and pressing my back against the cold cement wall.

“You deserve silk sheets and flowers⁠—”

“I’m not waiting for that. We are public figures, Mal. You know as well as I do that an attack could come at any moment. I’m done waiting.”

I stretch out one hand and squeeze his hard length through his trousers. The ceremonial robes he’s wearing should look ridiculous. Instead, the burgundy-red embroidered with gold thread looks almost militaristic on him. I flick open one braided frog clasp. He groans as I work my way up, stripping the elaborate top off him to reveal a plain white shirt beneath, and black trousers below.

Slowly, I sink to my knees.

“You are mine now, Princess. Forever. No one will take you from me.”

My hair had already mostly escaped the elaborate updo. Now, he brings his hands to my head and finishes the job. Long tresses tumble around my shoulders. Pearl-tipped pins fall to the ground. I unfasten his trousers and extract his cock.

“I’m all yours, Malakai,” I promise. “I want you so badly.”

His muscles clench. I lick the underside of his thick cock, wrap my lips around the head, tasting salt at the slit. The first time we were together, that morning at my castle, I didn’t quite know what I was doing. I still don’t, but this time, I’m quicker to read his cues. The shallow, panting breaths. The way his abdomen ripples. He holds my head and fucks my mouth, green eyes sparking with fire.

“You’re beautiful on your knees,” he groans.

“I’ll worship you this way any time, Majesty.” Desire pulses deep in my core. I put my free hand between my thighs and let my finger slide into the slick heat.

“You’re perfect, Lili. My darling perfect princess. You’re touching yourself, aren’t you?”

I can’t nod, so I hum a little noise of confirmation.