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My fingers tighten around his arm as another tremor runs through me.

“Once I present you to them, you’re in.” He pushes the shower head against me harder, flipping it to a more intense stream. “You’ll be marked as mine. And the Order will watch you accordingly.”

It’s not just about him; it’s the Serpents, their ownership. This is how I fall into their grasp.

Fear should win here. It should matter more than this. But the choice is already made, and my body is answering it before my mind can retreat.

My jaw hangs open as my head meets the wall behind me. I nod weakly.

Edwin’s hand circles my throat, squeezing just a little. Enough to remind me how easily he could take it all away.

My clit throbs in response. Shame rushes through the pleasure, and I instinctively retreat into myself.

“Look at me.” His voice pulls my unfocused gaze to his. “Don’t shrink away from it now.”

One of his fingers swipes across my lips, pushing in to rub my tongue until my mouth closes around him. The filthy thought of a different part of him floods my mind.

Tension builds to an unbearable peak. My legs tremble, struggling to hold me upright.

He leans in and drags his tongue slowly along my neck, under my ear. “Stay with me, angel. Tell me again. Convince me.”

That sends me right over the edge. I clutch desperately at his sleeves as my body bends to his will.

“I want it.”

The admission leaves me exposed in a way my naked body doesn't. But there's freedom in admitting what I want.

His fingers tighten at my throat. “Good girl.”

When I cum, he squeezes hard enough to cut off my air. No sound escapes me except strangled little gasps as my clit throbs wildly beneath the stream of warm water.

My eyes try to close, but I stare up at him, silently pleading for mercy. He makes it continue. On and on. Watching me with unnerving focus until darkness crowds the edges of my vision.

Then he pulls the shower head away.

And allows me to breathe.

Air tears into my lungs.

My knees buckle, but his arm catches my back and holds me upright.

Everything feels distant. My mind is floating. My body simply goes through the motions. I’m barely aware that he turns off the shower and gets me out.

I lean against the counter as he wraps a towel around my shoulders. He keeps it closed loosely in front of me, his hands resting on my chest until I look up at him.

I don't know what I'm supposed to say after letting someone see me like that.

“We’ll begin soon.” His casual tone is more shocking than what just happened.

If this is normal for him, what happens when he stops being patient?

He climbs out the open window and leaves without another word.

I stare at the empty space, waiting for guilt to come crashing down on me. For Mother’s voice to remind me of how filthy I am. But all I hear is a lingering drip from the faucet into the tub.

My body is still humming. Between my legs, the ache he left behind throbs for him.

Only now does the weight of my choice hit me.