So sweet. So compatible with this dark heart of mine.
The errant, dangerous thought flickered through my mind like an echo. I was too consumed by the sounds she was making to bother mitigating the risk.
“You like that, sweetheart?” I growled in approval, gripping her even harder, nails beginning to bite into the ample flesh below my palms.
“Fuck—Yes,” she panted.
I bent over, leaning my frame above hers. With my cock still out, it slid naturally between her slick thighs, absolutely coated with her arousal. I truly couldn’t wait to be inside her again, but there was something to be established, first and foremost.
“Do you want it to hurt?” I whispered in her ear softly.
I kept my tone neutral and even. It was a struggle not to expose myself as I offered a desperate prayer to the Fates that she would say yes. Regardless of how much I wanted this, regardless of what we had already so clearly implied, I needed an honest answer from her.
She stiffened, and for a moment my heart sunk.
Too much, you dumb bastard,I scolded myself.Too much, too fast.
I could feel the oily knot of self-loathing make its way into the pit of my stomach before immediately vanishing at the sound of the two sweetest words I’d ever heard.
“Yes, please.”
The words slipped from her mouth like her most furtive confession, and it was music to my ears. I felt her body relax beneath me, melting as she offered herself in deep, intimate submission. Flawless. She couldn’t see the shit-eating grin that crept across my face at her angle from where I stood, but even I could hear it make its way into my voice as I replied.
“Thank thefuckinggods.”
I slid one hand around her throat again, a light caress with just the slightest hint of pressure. More a prelude than a threat.
“Do you trust me, sweetheart?” I asked.
“Yes,” Arken sighed.
“Hmm, I’m sorry? I didn’t quite catch that,” I murmured, slowly letting my fingers tighten around her neck. I felt her throat bob as she swallowed hard.
“Yes, I trust you, Kieran,” she said with sincerity.
“Mhm. FromSir, back toKieranalready?” I admonished. “That won’t do.”
I applied just a bit more pressure on her throat, forcing her to focus on her breathing and center herself.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Little Conduit. I don’t want to hear you say my name again tonight unless you arescreamingit while I fuck you. Understood?” I growled.
“Y-yes,Sir,” she corrected. There was just the hint of beautiful strain in her voice. “I trust you.”
“Good. Now put both arms behind your back,” I ordered, focusing my arcana as she followed her instructions with haste.
Cool, smoky coils of Shadow aether began to manifest in the form of ropes—smooth like silk, but stronger than any cord or textile one could purchase in the Market District. As I began to weave the arcane material around her arms in artful loops and knots, Arken craned her neck, trying to glance back at what I was doing. I caught her eye and smirked, pulling the ropes of Shadow taut, fashioning a restraint that left her in a rather compromised position. She inhaled sharply as the rigging enforced some improved posture, bringing her shoulders back and binding her wrists and forearms in place.
“Well now,” I murmured. “I can’t say I don’t adore the sight of you like this. But before we continue, we’re going to make one thing perfectly clear, alright?”
I released my grip on her neck.
“Yes, Sir?”
“Good girl,” I reminded her, because she was. She was so fucking good.
Gods, I loved her.
“Everyone’s definition of pain is a little different, Arken, and so I need you to make me a promise. If I push you too hard, if I start approaching a line that you’re not ready to cross—all you need to do is tell me to stop. You just saystop, and we stop. I’m not going to ask you for a safe word because that’s not my goal here, not tonight. But I do need you topromiseme that you’ll stop me before I hurt you in a way you don’t enjoy. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?”