Chapter 44 Into The Flames #2
“Is that a promise?” I whispered back.
“Seera,” he growled, his fingers tightening on my bare hips. “You truly enjoy other people's misery, don’t you?”
“Guilty . . .” I trailed my sharp nails down his partially-bare chest, courtesy of the buttons that were already left undone. “Are you going to punish me for enjoying your misery, my King?”
All thoughts of research flew from my mind. When Alaric touched me, there was nothing else I could do but fall victim to my foolish desires.
“Your punishment starts right now.” His voice dripped with a mixture of darkness and desire as he wrapped my hair around his hand and tugged hard.
Pain flared along my scalp when he dragged my head back, forcing me to meet his scorching gaze. “Are you ready to take commands for once in your life, my Queen?”
I tried to dip my chin, but his grip tightened with dissatisfaction.
“No. I need to hear you say it, sweetheart. Will you follow your king’s demands like a good girl?”
My breasts grew heavy with need as pain laced through my veins, and I jolted atop him. Alaric’s eyes dipped to my chest, hungrily devouring the way my breasts bounced from the movement.
“I will follow your demands, my king,” I forced out through gritted teeth.
“Good girl. Now, I’m going to release you, but only for a moment so you can get on your knees for me.”
I nodded, but he yanked my hair, making me remember to find my words. “Yes.”
He gave my locks another tug. “Yes, my King.”
“Yes, my King,” I echoed through breathy pants, earning me the reward to finally be released from his punishing grip.
Now that I could glance at him without his fingers laced throughout my hair, I watched as his eyes turned nearly entirely black, filling with an endless well of want.
Slowly, I shifted my hips off his, backing down his legs while never breaking our eye contact.
For the first time in my entire existence as the Serpent Queen, my knees crashed onto the floor.
If I was to bow before any man, I was pleased it was for the godlike man glaring down at me.
“Such a good girl,” he purred, leaning onto his forearms. Then, his eyes dipped to the bulge in his pants. “Take them off.”
Wetness pooled between my thighs at his command. Slowly, I reached up to undo his belt buckle. I was never on the submissive side of the power dynamic games I played with Landon, and a thrill shot through me as the roles reversed and I unbuttoned his trousers.
Maybe I did enjoy being dominated, but only by the right person.
Alaric lifted his hips, allowing me to lower his pants and undergarments past his knees. Yet, my eyes never strayed from the mesmerizing sight of his cock springing free.
For Serpent’s Sake, the Serpent King was very well endowed.
The dinner he brought was utterly forgotten as I set my sights on the only meal I wanted to devour tonight.
He tracked my ravenous stare. “I know how bad you want to suck me, my Queen, but this is a punishment, remember?”
I glared at the menace while awaiting my next command.
“You will wrap those pouty, infuriating lips around my cock, then I am going to fuck your mouth until I cum—and you will swallow. Every. Last. Ounce. Of. Me.”
I licked my lips as a hunger I’ve never experienced gnawed at the back of my throat.
“Answer me.” The Serpent King’s demanding voice pulled my attention back to his eyes and away from what I craved. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, my king. I will be a good girl and wrap my lips around your cock. I will let you fuck my mouth however you like, for as long as you like. Then, you can reward me. I will happily swallow every drip you pour down my throat.” I couldn’t stop the way my lips curved into a mischievous smile, and, by the way the king’s cock twitched, I don’t think he minded my small act of defiance.
“Before we begin your punishment—” His gaze dipped to my cleavage as he leaned forward. “Strip.”
“May I stand?” I looked at him through lowered lashes.
“Please do.” He happily smirked, propping a pillow under his head as he prepared to enjoy the show.
Slowly, I stood, beginning to slide the small straps of my gown down my shoulders. The material was loose enough to where it quickly fell off my body, pooling around my feet and leaving me completely bare before the king, since I forwent undergarments.
Alaric gripped his cock in his fist, his eyes savagely devouring every inch of my skin. He worked himself as he stood, spreading his legs slightly.
“Are you hungry, my Queen?”
My gaze flicked to his cock, then I dropped onto my knees as I stared at the way he touched himself. I desperately wanted to replace his hand with mine, pumping him until he came all over my chest.
“I’m starving,” I rasped so closely to where he touched himself, my warm breath making the king shiver with anticipation.
“Let me satiate your hunger, sweetheart,” he said as he guided his cock into my already open and ready mouth.
I moaned as he hit the back of my throat, allowing me only a moment to adjust to the sheer size of him before he began my punishment.
He fucked my mouth with the intensity of a raging storm, thrusting into me like rain pounding against a window pane. My eyes watered at how feverish his movements were, at the way his cock continuously slammed to the back of my throat, at the way he wrapped his hand around my hair.
“Fuck, I didn’t think it was possible for you to feel better than you did last night, but that mouth is positively wicked, sweetheart.
” He slammed into me again. “You take me like the queen you are.” He tugged on my hair with his next thrust, making tears slip from the corners of my eyes. “Such a good fucking girl.”
I moaned around the vast size of the Serpent King, the taste of him starting to coat my tongue.
Being with Alaric was like a drug, something I’d crave every day after experiencing how incredible it was.
I’d spend an eternity on my knees if it meant I got the privilege to consume every inch of the Serpent King as often as I pleased.
“Touch yourself.” His command tore me from my thoughts, making my eyes raise to find his already locked onto me.
Tantalizingly slow, I watched as the Serpent King devoured the show I put on for him. I skimmed my fingers over my breasts, circling my nipples then squeezing one with a fierce pinch.
I moaned around his cock, making him squeeze my hair tighter around his fist.
Down and down, I let my fingers dance over my flushed skin until they were dipping between my thighs. I ran two through my slick center as I stared up at the king, then circled back to tease my clit.
“Oh, fuck,” Alaric groaned, rolling his hips and making another glorious inch of him slip down my throat. “Fuck your hand, sweetheart. Envision it’s my fingers pulling your sweet pleasure from you.”
He watched as I slipped into myself, riding my hand while taking him like the sinful queen I was.
“Seera,” he moaned, and I glanced up at him with tears streaking down my face. “Come with me.”
Our eyes locked, and I moaned around him in response. I fucked myself harder as we both raced closer toward the cataclysmic edge. Alaric’s eyes remained locked on the way my breasts bounced as I chased my own release.
He growled my name when he came, the delectable taste of him dripping down my throat. I swallowed it as it continued to spill into me, not daring to break our eye contact while I fulfilled his final command.
After devouring every last drop the king spilt into my mouth, I waited for him to slip from my warm embrace.
He collapsed onto the bed, patting the emerald silk beside him. “Come here.”
I rose, my knees slightly stinging from the friction of the rug and what just transpired between us. Alaric rolled onto his side, extending his arm out for me to cuddle into his chest. I happily accepted, fitting into the crook of his arm like it was made for me.
Though we never got to experience most sexual acts when we were together for the first time, I still craved his touch. Some of my favorite moments were crawling into his arms—he held me for as long as I needed as I wept over the traumas of my past.
“What are you thinking about?” Alaric gently hooked a finger under my chin, raising my eyes to meet his.
Déjà vu roiled through me at his question—the memory of Landon and I laying in bed after one of our meetings coming back to me. When my bodyguard asked me this question, I avoided the truth. I ran from my feelings.
Maybe, it was time to try a new approach.
Maybe, it was time to test out speaking the truth rather than a lie.
“I’m thinking about . . . about a similar moment like this one when we first met.” I trailed my fingers along his back as we embraced.
His lips tightened into a sad grimace. He released his finger from underneath my chin to brush back my hair.
“I want to make a promise to you, Seera.” He softly gripped the back of my head as I curiously gazed back at him.
“I know this promise will mean nothing without action behind it, but I want to tell you anyway.”
He paused, and I chewed on my lip as a knot formed in my gut.
This conversation felt like it was tipping toward dangerous territory, like my heart was rapidly being led to its own execution.
“I swear I will never treat you like I once did. I promise, when we complete this mission, I will return your soul to you with no qualms. If you want it back after all of this, it’s yours.”
My mouth parted as I processed he was offering me something I’ve never been granted the pleasure of receiving before: a choice in my own destiny.
This changed everything.
My trust rekindled a smidge from his promise. “Alaric, I—” That nagging feeling returned in my gut, making my thoughts churn. “Wait, if you return my soul to me, I’d lose my powers . . .” I glanced at him, my newfound trust in the man staring at me with lowered brows quickly waning.
“Is this all just a game to you?” I whispered, suddenly feeling stripped bare, not only in the flesh but down to my very core.
“If you think for one second I’d give up my powers just so I could feel again, you’re a bigger fool than I thought.
” I slammed my fist against his chest, trying to break out of his embrace.
His fingers dug into my back, holding me in place as hurt flashed across his face.
“I told you once, and I’ll tell you everyday if I must, I’m not playing games with you, Seera.” His fingers dragged down my skin to soothe the anger festering inside me like a deadly disease. “We can make a new bargain.”
Slowly, my fists uncurled against his skin as a seed of hope rooted inside my chest. “A new bargain?”
“If you stopped jumping to conclusions, then I would have been able to properly finish my thought.” He arched a scolding brow at me. “As I was trying to say, we can make any bargain you want. After I return your soul to you, yes, our original one will sever and you will lose your powers.”
My hands balled against his chest once more, dividing his attention between them and my eyes.
“Easy, my vicious serpent. Let me finish.” His demanding tone irked me, yet my traitorous legs twitched from his command.
“I will offer you my magic in exchange for anything you’d like to offer me. It can be as frivolous as your favorite pair of heels, or, my personal preference would be another round of fucking your mouth senseless.”
“Alaric!” I slapped his chest at the wicked words spilling out of his lips, but it only made him tip his head back and laugh.
However, the mirth kissing the corners of his eyes dissolved as he reached between us to grasp my hands in his.
“I’m serious, Seera. Whatever you want, you can have it.
I’m going to prove to you that you can trust me again.
Until the day I take my last breath, I won’t stop trying to be a better man for you.
I just want to correct my biggest mistake.
” He released one of my hands to caress my face, nestling our still-joined ones between our chests.
“You always deserved a better life than what the gods dealt you. If I can help remedy that in any way, it would be my greatest honor.”
His thumb trailed down to swipe over my bottom lip, and his eyes grew with worry as he watched it begin to tremble.
Oh, for Serpent’s Sake, not again.
“Hey, it’s okay, sweetheart.” He crushed me against him, and my tears found a new home in the crook of Alaric’s neck.
He held me for what felt like ages, gently stroking my hair as I fell apart in his arms.
With one final sniffle, I pulled myself together as best as I could and croaked, “Don’t you ever call my beloved heels frivolous, you behemoth.”
His hissing laughter still felt like the sun kissing my skin after being trapped in my mother’s tower for twenty-five long years.
“If you are up for some further research tonight, I have an idea,” he whispered against my hair.
I pulled back, taking in the way his eyes gleamed with mischief. I could practically see those evil little gears in his wicked brain turning.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I want to take you somewhere in order to help aid our mission, but we have to be careful not to get caught.” He offered me a roguish smile. “Are you up for playing with fire, my Queen?”
I ran my free hand through his hair, giving his locks a sharp tug as I leaned in and whispered against his lips.
“Lead the way, and I’ll follow you into the flames, my King.”