The Lycan King's Puppet-Chapter 110: Cravings

"I don’t know why I went in." She said, not meeting any of their gazes.

He didn’t need to be told. She was lying.

Something was wrong. Why was it so hard for her to tell him things.

"You were harmed for heaven’s sake, Claire. If you can’t..." He broke off when he realized his slip.

When he looked at Andon, he was watching him quietly.

"I don’t mean to startle anyone. I’m fine." She made to stand up, wincing quietly.

Andon’s grip on her hand tightened.

"Where do you think you’re going, Miss Stenly?"

"To my chambers." Her voice was small, like she wanted to cry.

"Let her be."

Andon’s hand fell away, but she didn’t move.

What was she waiting for?

She turned to him.

"Could you assign a guard to escort me?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

"I’ll escort you." Yeren said, laying his hand at the small of her back.

He felt her stiffen beneath his touch, but she followed nonetheless.

"I want to have a word with you when you’re done with her, Your Grace." Andon said, rising up as well.

Yeren nodded at him and guided her up to her tower.

On the steps, she paused without warning, causing him and the entourage of guards to stop as well.

"Did you hear that?" She asked him.

Hear what? He listened for any odd sounds - only the sound of washing waves and chattering servants could be heard.

She glanced at the guards, her eyes unreadable.

What in the world had she heard?

"Nothing? Then... forget I asked." She resumed ascending the steps.

Her motions weren’t as graceful as he’d remembered - it was almost as if she were in pain. Not just in her shoulder.

Had she broken a bone, or sprained an ankle?

She began leaning more against his weight as they neared the top of the tower.

When they reached the door, she laid one hand on the knob and turned to him.

"Thank you for taking time to ensure that I reach my room safely, Your Grace."

She was dismissing him?

The guards retreated to the shadows with a look from him.

"I know you’re hiding things from me."

She stepped closer, close enough for him to smell her intoxicating scent.

"Just because we’ve been intimate once doesn’t mean that I owe you any explanations."

"Not once. Twice." He reminded her.

Colour crept into her cheeks as she realized he was right.

"It doesn’t change anything."

"It does, unfortunately."

He pushed the door open.

"Andon is waiting for you." She said, realising his intention immediately.

"He can wait a few minutes longer." He closed the door behind himself.

She licked her lips without realizing it, arousing me further.

"Not tonight... Yeren. I want to sleep and-"

He covered her mouth with his, pressing her against the wall. She let out a helpless groan.

The kiss wasn’t gentle - it wasn’t meant to be.

Then he lifted her up, gripping her hips firmly. She responded by wrapping her legs around him.

Just a few hours of being apart from her and it felt like months... or years.

From her luscious lips, he moved to her earlobe, trailing wet kisses down to her neck.

She arched back with a little sound that made him harder - if that was even possible.

Without thinking, he held the fabric of her dress and ripped it apart. The sound of the ripping fabric overshadowed their loud breathing for a brief second.

It ripped down to her abdomen, hanging in the space between them.

She pushed it down until her chemise was the only thing separating him from her luscious breasts.

And the chemise was the next thing to go. He ripped it apart without remorse once again.

She gasped as cold air ran over her skin. There were bruises on her shoulders and right arm. He wanted to kiss every one of them, to soothe whatever pain she was feeling.

There was plenty of time for that, Andon could wait.

He dropped her on the floor and she helped him pull the remnants of her dress down.

He could never get used to the sight of her naked skin. The blush he loved so much crept up her cheeks as goosebumps formed on her skin.

There were more bruises on her side and elbows.

She was only wearing her drawers and stockings.

One stocking disappeared, then the next, until she stood naked in front of him.

There were bruises on her thighs and legs.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on the tips of her toes. Heeding her, he lifted her and she wrapped herself around him once more.

He could feel the heat of her core as he pressed her against the wall.

With one swift movement, he removed the cusps of his breeches and filled her. She writhed and bucked, arching back as a low moan escaped her.

He withdrew and thrust into her, suppressing his groans as she clenched around him.

She felt too... good.

Her lips parted as she gasped, her head resting against the wall. Even her eyes rolled backwards the way it had done the night before.

It was building up with each thrust, each gring of his hips against her.

Then, it exploded within him and he let go. Her head fell on his shoulders, her pants tickling his skin.

They remained joined for a while, until their breathing calmed.

Still joined, he carried her to the bed.

Her hands around his neck tightened as he attempted to pull away.

"It keeps running away from me." She murmured.

He stilled.

"What keeps running away from you?"

Claire released one of her hands to wipe her eyes.

"Forget I said anything."

His jaw tightened.

Why didn’t she trust him? It dawned on him that he didn’t just want her body, he wanted her.

She gasped as he pulled out of her, her hands falling away.

"Good night." She whispered, turning her face away.

"Who said I was leaving?" His lips found the bruise on her shoulder.

She winced at first, but eventually relaxed under his ministrations. He pulled out of her and trailed down her arms, leaving kisses on every bruise he could see in the dim lighting.

She responded by slipping her hands through his hair and bringing him closer.

When he was done, he pulled her into his arms and held her.

"What about Andon?"

He sighed. "I can see him in the morning."

She slid her hand over his hands resting on her abdomen.

"Will all of this end when we return to the palace?"

"All of what?"

She drew in a sharp breath.

"You and me. This." She moved his hand upwards until it cupped one of her breasts.

"You don’t know what you’re doing, Claire. I have to leave soon, but if you continue, I’ll have to keep you awake till dawn." He said, kneading her soft mound despite his words.

She chuckled.

"How would it look if you were found in my bed chamber? You’d leave before midnight, I believe."

"You know I can’t stay - even if I wanted to."

She tried to push away, but his grip on her abdomen tightened.

"Stop making me feel like... a woman you care for. I’m your Cupbearer... so this has to stop if you won’t choose me."

Choose her? She wanted him to choose her? Claire Stenly wanted him to choose her?

His breath caught.

"Holding you feels so right, Claire. Let’s not talk about anything else."

She fell silent, but he knew she was fighting an internal battle.

"Would you still marry her?"

"Who?"

"The other woman. The daughter of one of your council members."

The other woman. He had completely forgotten about Garelle’s existence. But politics and love Never mixed - at least not in the world he lived in.

"Yes."

She stiffened in his arms.

He had a very strong feeling that nothing he said would make her return to what she once was.

And it was solely his fault.

He carefully withdrew his hands from her breasts.

"Forgive me for dragging you into this."

She turned her face into the sheets. "I knew what I was getting myself into." She whispered, her voice muffled by the bed covering.

She knew? Did she really know? If she did, she would have run in the opposite direction.

The silence after that was deafening. She was as still as a log, her breathing calm - but he knew she wasn’t asleep.

It was his cue to leave - it was obvious she wanted him gone.

Yeren slid out of the bed quietly and left her room.

He didn’t even notice when his guards filed around him.

Andon’s words filtered around him all through their conversation, never quite reaching his ears.

Even sleep deserted him as he wondered what he would do with her.

But he knew the line was drawn when they met at the carriage the following morning. She was as cold as ice, never meeting his gaze.

It was over before it even began.

Wasn’t that what he wanted?