Yue-Senn POV

The walk back across the frost-dusted courtyard felt entirely different from the march out. The blinding adrenaline of her fire display still hunged in the air, but my focus was entirely consumed by the woman walking beside me.

Her magnificent skin and hair catching the weak northern light. I kept looking down at her, my chest tight with a heavy, unyielding mixture of yearning, awe, and the terrifying realization that had just broken through my defenses in the tea room.

I was in love with her.

Suddenly, a chorus of shrill, blood-curdling shrieks from the undead ripped through the mountain peaks, the unnatural sound echoing against the castle walls.

Ryophlira froze. Without a shred of her usual defiance, she grabbed my hand, her fingers locking into mine with a desperate grip. She looked up at me, her eyes wide with a unexpected vulnerability.

I could barely believe my own eyes. The woman who had destroyed half of her own kingdom, the warrior who possessed the raw physical strength of a thousand men, was actually terrified of the undead screaming clinging to my arm for protection.

"Forget about everything I just said in the greenhouse," she begged, her voice frantic, entirely stripping away her political armor.

"Please, let’s just go inside, lock all the windows and doors, and you can just hold me under the covers."

Before I could even open my mouth to respond, she planted her heels and began violently pulling me by my hand toward the palace door. I didn’t even have the leverage to plant myself I was just gliding helplessly across the snow, pulled along by her strength.

I sharply jerked my head back, looking at Ari and Ki-ri in absolute disbelief, my eyes shouting.

Are you seeing this shit? She is moving me with zero effort.

They didn’t even try to hide their amusement. They were openly laughing at me.

The moment we all entered into the palace, Ryophlira slammed the heavy doors shut, throwing the iron bolts into place before rushing frantically down the corridor to secure every single arched window. The distant screams outside grew more frantic, vibrating through the stone.

"I think they are significantly hungrier today," I teased, leaning my shoulder against the wall with a slow, wicked smirk. I cast a sidelong glance at Ki-ri. "Don’t you think so, Ki-ri?"

Ki-ri kept his face perfectly straight, nodding solemnly. "Incredibly ravenous, My Lord."

Ryophlira let out a sharp, panicked squeak. She instantly snatched Ari’s hand and rushed up the grand staircase her heels clicking frantically until they disappeared around the landing.

The moment she was out of sight both Ki-ri and I burst into a loud, genuine laugh that echoed off the high ceilings. "Prepare a bath for me, Ki-ri," I rumbled, wiping a hand down my face as my pulse finally slowed.

Thirty minutes later, the steam from the washroom was still clinging to my skin. I walked into the dark, candlelit bedroom, wearing nothing but a loose comfortable pair of dark green pants hanging low around my waist you could see the v-shape.

My black hair was damp, messy, and hanging loosely over my forehead, a few stray droplets of water tracing the contours of my bare chest and the coiling lines of my snake tattoo.

The moment I opened the door and crossed into the room the breath was completely ripped from my lungs. I froze by the door, my hands stalling on the handle.

She was sitting on the edge of the massive wooden bed, completely undone. She had shed her heavy gown and now wearing a piece of sheer, ultra-delicate light pink lingerie.

A sultry silk baby-doll dress trimmed with intricate floral lace that left her smooth, bare legs completely exposed. A matching silk-and-lace white robe dangled precariously off her shoulders, slightly falling away to reveal the soft, bare curve of her chest.

Her hair fell wildly around her face, and she was nervously messing with her fingers, her gaze fixed on her lap.

The sight was so devastatingly beautiful, that a jolt of heat shot straight to my lower abdomen. I felt myself immediately starting to grow rock-hard against the fabric of my trousers, my pulse hammering a frantic rhythm in my throat.

The winter wind howled against the heavy stone glass, but inside the locked bedchamber, the air was a thick, sweltering furnace of absolute friction.

looking over at her, and the raw, staggering reality of my love for her didn’t just rattle my chest it completely leveled me. I didn’t just want her body I wanted to consume her entire soul, to drown in the absolute perfection of her.

"I love you," I groaned, the words sounding heavy in the quiet room. Ryophlira’s breath hitched, her fingers halting their nervous fidgeting against her thighs. She raised her head, her eyes blazing up at me with an intensity that made the hair on my arms stand up.

I didn’t give her time to think, to let those high defensive walls of hers come back up. I closed the distance in a single, fluid strike, my large frame shadowing hers as I caught reached one hand down and pulled her up from the bed. With my other hand l took her jaw in my palm and slammed my mouth down onto hers.

She let out a soft, ragged whimper against my lips, her mouth parting instantly for me. I wrapped my thick arms around her waist, lifting her small frame effortlessly off the floor.

As I pulled her flush against my bare chest, the white robe slid completely off her shoulders like water, pooling onto the floor rugs. I laid her down gently onto the plush fur blankets, pinning her beneath the heavy, muscular expanse of my body.

My heavy, muscular frame hovering directly over her as I pulled back for a fraction of a second to look down into her flushed face.

"I know right now it’s hard for you to believe me," I rumbled, my voice thick with an raw emotion as my thumb traced her lower lip. "And I know you don’t really feel the same way yet—"

Ryophlira raised a slender, warm finger, pressing it firmly against my lips to silence my speech. "Stop talking," she whispered her breathing shallow and frantic as her eye flared with a sudden, unholy heat. "And just fucking kiss me."

I did exactly what she asked for I kissed her again harder. I pull back and trailed the kiss down her neck, sucking and nibbling burying my face in her neck.

Ryophlira aggressively tangled her small fingers into my damp, messy black hair, pulling my head back slightly before leaning up to press her lips directly against my Adam’s apple, biting down softly enough to leave a mark.

"God, Ry," I pant, my pulse hammering violently against her mouth as I brought my lips back down to hers, devouring her.

I was completely hard now, my dick straining brutally against the thin fabric of my green pants. I crowded my thighs between hers, pinning her legs slightly open as my hand slid up her lingerie.

I captured her bare, soft breast, my fingers softly digging into the yielding flesh, squeezing tightly as she let out a loud, high-pitched moan directly into my throat.

But as the kiss turned filthy, Ryophlira’s hand slid down my bare torso. Her warm fingers passed over my hips and reached down, wrapping firmly around the thick, pulsing shape of my dick right through the fabric of my trousers.

The second her palm closed around my full size, she froze. Her breath completely caught in her throat. She pulled back from our kiss, looking up at me through the dim candlelight, her eyes wide, entirely surprised and intimidated by the heavy, throbbing thickness in her hand. A tiny flicker of fear mirrored in her pupils.

"Don’t stop," I whispered hoarsely, my voice dripping with dark command as I leaned down and forcefully kissed her neck burying her doubts.

"Squeeze it. Just like that."

She caught the rhythm, a reckless, desperate heat taking over her movements. One of her hands stayed locked in my hair, while her other hand softly squeezed the weight of my dick, her palm slowly rubbing the throbbing length up and down through the pants. I pulled her in by the back of her neck and burried my lips onto hers again. I was starving and only she alone could satisfy my hunger.

I let out a breathy moan against her lips, my mind completely short-circuiting.

When the hell did she get this bold?

She didn’t know what she was doing, her movements slightly clumsy but so incredibly eager to please me that it was driving me completely insane.

Determined to make her first time an unforgettable, shattering experience, I began to worship every single inch of her skin. I pulled my mouth from hers, trailing my lips down the sharp line of her jaw to suck lazily at the skin of her neck, leaving deep, bruising marks.

Ryophlira arched her back completely off the mattress, her nails digging viciously into the heavy muscles of my back as a loud moan escaped her lips.

"Yue-Senn... ah...."

My hands moved over her like a map I intended to tear apart. I gripped her waist, my fingers bruising her hips before sliding down to cup the full, smooth curve of her bare ass, lifting her up off the sheets to press her dripping wet vagina firmly against my thigh.

I leaned down, my mouth capturing the lace-trimmed peak of her breast through the sheer. Using my teeth I slowly pull down the top, her breast bounced out sucking the soft bud deeply, swirling my tongue around it until she whimpered, her lower body restlessly grinding against my leg.

I rubbed my thigh slowly against her clit, feeling the incredible, hot wetness soaking completely through the thin silk of her underwear. She was completely drenched for me, her body melting.

"Look at me, Ry," my voice low.

She opened her eyes, her gaze completely glazed over with lust. I shifted my weight, my hand sliding down between her trembling, bare thighs. I gently nudged her knees further apart, my knuckles brushing against her clit.

The moment I touched her, her entire body seized up, her fingers tightening into the muscles of my chest.

"Ryophlira" I murmured, my voice dropping into a low, incredibly gentle rumble. I slid my hand up to cup her flushed cheek, my thumb stroking her skin to soothe the panic.

"Breathe for me, darling. Just relax. Focus on my voice."

"It’s... it’s my first time, Yue-Senn," she whispered, her voice cracking as she looked up at me with absolute vulnerability.

"I want... I want to be good for you. I am just a bit scared..."

A profound possessive warmth surged through my chest, completely wrapping around the lust. I leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips, tasting the sweet surrender on her tongue.

"You are driving me fucking crazy just by breathing. Tonight is entirely about you. Let me take care of you. Hold onto me take a deep breath, I will be slow and gentle. You can tell me at anytime to stop."

I brought my hand back down between her legs, my fingers already slick with her own sweet, hot cream. I pressed the pad of my long finger against her tight vagina, feeling her twitch in anticipation. I leaned down, my lips brushing the shell of her ear as I let out a low, soothing whisper.

"Take a deep breath and open up for me, Ry."

And with a slow, deliberate pressure, I slowly slid just one long finger completely inside of her.