Chapter 15 #3
She said nothing as Bellinor gripped her shoulders, heaving her into the air so he could slink more vines under her, encircling her breasts and waist with thorns, the physical pain masking the inner turmoil racing through her.
“Don’t you think she’s had enough?” Rul asked once again as Bellinor dropped her back onto the bed, pressing her face into the mattress.
“If you say one more word, I will cast her into le Voile and you will never see her again.”
The silence after Bellinor’s cruel hiss was deafening.
A rough hand gripped her waist, and then he was inside her in one forceful plunge, a strangled moan erupting from her mouth.
It was ecstasy and it was agony, fire searing up her spine in a swift lightning strike.
He didn’t waste any time, thrusting hard and fast until she was seeing stars behind her blindfold, her heartbeat thumping like a drum in her chest.
“Pray to your goddess, my dear. Pray that you can release whatever pathetic feelings you have for me and remember your place.”
His fingers were between her legs, circling her clit hard and intensifying her need for release. With a few more strokes, she was clenching against him, letting out a mewling whimper as her body reveled in pleasure, even as her mind was spinning.
Bellinor slammed into her to the hilt, pumping her full of his hot seed, his cock throbbing inside her. He pulled out with a groan, leaking cum onto the bed as his vines retracted into him, leaving stinging pinpricks of blood in their wake. She heard the creak of the mattress, then Rul’s voice.
“Bell–”
“I’m not here to coddle her,” Bellinor snarled, interrupting Rul’s plea. “You can do whatever you want with the little whore.”
There were a few tense moments of silence before the slamming of a door, her tears breaking free of the dam that had tried to contain them.
Rul got onto the bed and pulled her into his arms, removing the blindfold and hugging her to his chest as she sobbed, the complete release of emotions overwhelming her.
She was freezing, clinging to him for warmth while his tail circled her waist. After the darkness, the eerie light of the red room was blinding.
He had a horrified look on his face, despite the fact that he was as complicit in all of this as Bellinor. Like he hadn’t wanted to ruin her as well. She squirmed in his grasp, trying to escape, but he held her tight.
“It’s alright, baby. I’m here. Let me take care of you.”
Every muscle was weak, her body aching and stinging and throbbing, and she stopped her struggle, once again knowing it was fruitless.
“Relax,” he cooed, laying her onto her stomach and slipping from her arms. “Don’t move.”
Her eyes shut, unable to hold them open any longer.
Isabelle was awoken again when she felt a cool, wet cloth against her back, popping an eye open to see Rul wiping her down.
He removed blood and sweat from her body before swiping between her legs.
The sex demon was cleaning her, caring for her, even though he hadn’t had his own release. Was he hungry? Did he crave her?
“We can still–” she started, but he shushed her, taking a brush and untangling her hair.
“No. We’re done for today.”
Next was a small vial filled with a clear liquid, some sort of floral scented oil that he poured on her cuts, abating the sting. He turned her onto her back and did the same to her front, dotting the substance along each prick of pain.
“You are the most exquisite thing I’ve ever touched,” he murmured, and she swallowed hard, their eyes locking in a single, heated moment.
Rul handed her a crystal goblet, and she drank, the water quenching her parched throat and clearing her head a bit. Next was a plate of her favorite pink macarons, which she eagerly engulfed as if she hadn’t eaten in days.
When he had her settled back into the bed, she curled up against him, savoring the tenderness of his touch.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice gentle.
How was she feeling?
While in that alluring dreamlike state, she could almost believe the words they had said, that she deserved forgiveness, acceptance.
She had served the moon mother with her whole heart, and yet it never seemed to be enough.
She was still cursed with lust, still empty inside, still yearning for companionship so badly that it made her do foolish things, like run into the forest to be claimed by a demon.
Like saying I love you in a moment of vulnerability.
“Confused,” she said. “I don’t understand what he wants. What you want.”
It was strange to tell the truth, to admit her emotions like this, but somehow she felt comfortable talking to him. Like she really could trust him.
“I can’t speak for Bellinor, but…” he said, trailing off, his eyes glued to the ceiling.
He glanced at her, his gaze softening and a rueful smile curling his lips.
“I want you, Isabelle. I want all of you. Your softness, the way you melt under my touch. The way you give yourself so freely.” He paused, breathing deeply like he was trying to stop his own tears from falling.
“Bellinor… he loved me once. Maybe he still does. I don’t know anymore.
Le Voile has changed him, even though he’s kept himself hidden away in le Jardin. ”
With a soft touch, he cupped her cheek, running his thumb over her lips.
“Who were you saying it to?”
Though he didn’t specify further, she knew what he was asking, taking a breath and giving herself a moment before answering.
“Him. You.”
Rul’s smile beamed straight through her, and he hugged her tighter, squeezing her against his chest.
“I don’t care if you meant it. I love you, too.”
The flow of tears was renewed, but in a way that felt freeing.
How many times had she given everything to the moon mother and received nothing in return?
It was blissful to be reciprocated, even if they were just words.
Did she mean it? She didn’t want to dwell on that question, not now, not when she knew one thing for certain.
In this moment, she felt good, and she deserved it.