by Lexi C. Foss
I had a week to figure this out.
A week before he expected me to perform.
And if he was like all the other royals, he didn’t just mean with him, but with others. They notoriously shared their harems with higher-ranking officials of society.
Could I handle that?
Was I prepared?
Would my training kick in properly?
My knees shook as we entered my room. One glance at the bed had my thighs clenching, and not from fear but from the prospect of what Ryder intended to do to me.
This isn’t what I want, I told myself. Yet that voice sounded weak. Unprepared. Terrified.
Because some part of me deep down did want this, and that was the part that scared me the most.
“Strip,” Ryder said as he escorted me into the bathroom. Rather than watch me comply, he focused on the shower.
It gave me a moment to catch my breath.
Then I remembered his demand, and heat suffused my skin once more.
I had no choice but to obey, which wasn’t my problem. Naked, I could handle. It was the evidence of my arousal that I wanted to hide.
He already knows, I whispered to myself, recalling his superior senses. He can smell it.
That thought made my mouth go dry.
Rather than overthink it, I pulled off my shorts and shirt, refusing to acknowledge my shame at reacting to him. It was just another way for him to win, and I refused to give him that victory. Although, I really wasn’t sure what game we were playing here, or if it was a game at all.
He placed his hand under the spray and nodded. “It’s ready for you.” Then he turned and ran his eyes over my body, his heated gaze falling to my mound. “You’ll need to shave before we leave. I’ll find you a razor.”
“And if I don’t?” I asked him, feeling the need to stand my ground for reasons I couldn’t identify. It just seemed natural to fight him. At least a little.
His lips curled as he stepped into my personal space, his strides forcing me to back up into the counter with dual sinks behind me. He gripped the marble on either side of my hips, his body crowding mine.
“If you don’t, then I’ll shave it for you, Willow.” He drew his nose across my cheekbone to my ear. “I dare you to defy me, pet. Because I’ll very much enjoy punishing you for it.” He nipped my earlobe sharply before adding, “Now be a good girl and take a shower. I’ll bring you up some food after you’re done.”
Ryder pushed away from me with a smirk, picked up my clothes, and made a show of smelling them. “Mmm,” he murmured in approval, his eyes running over me for the thousandth time since we met. “I look forward to tasting you later, Willow.” He turned for the door, then paused with a single reminder tossed over his shoulder: “One week, pet. One week.”
My knees buckled as he left, my heart racing in my chest.
One week, I repeated to myself. Fuck.
Ryder
One Week Later
“Do I need to tell you what will happen if you try to run in the soon-to-be-renamed Silvano City?” I asked Willow after buckling her into the seat beside me on the jet.
I’d seen the glint of a plan flashing in her gaze all week while we’d trained. She was a natural with a gun, quickly picked up the sparring moves I’d taught her, and proved to have decent stamina in terms of running.
But besting me would never happen.
And I needed her to acknowledge that now.
I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes, mulling over my question. Finally, she conceded with a short “No.” Because she knew what I’d do to her if she tried to run, and it wouldn’t be enjoyable for either of us.
“Good,” I replied, settling into my seat and meeting Damien’s gaze across from me. He held a newspaper in his lap, his suit an exact replica of the one I’d chosen to wear today. Only, he’d paired his with a tie and I’d left my neck exposed.
“I like her dress,” I informed him, which was my version of a thank-you since he’d selected the wardrobe.
“I know.” He picked up the glass of whiskey beside him that the flight attendant had just dropped off, and took a long sip. “But she still doesn’t look the part.”
My brow furrowed. “She’s in a translucent black gown. Her hair is styled. She has on fuck-me heels. What more can we do?” My cock had saluted her the second she stepped out of her room thirty minutes ago, and it still lay semi-hard for her in my trousers. Because Willow in that dress was a damn tease. That I’d craved her all damn week hadn’t helped the issue.
However, I was sort of enjoying this drawn-out game between us. There were several times I’d scented her interest during our lessons, particularly when I had her pinned down on the ground after a sparring move.
She wanted me—of that, I had no doubt. I could take her right now and she’d submit, but I rather enjoyed the prospect of her begging me for it. And she wasn’t there yet.
“She’s too uptight,” Damien pointed out as the jet began to move. The pilot was an old friend—one of the few I trusted to transport me. He came over the intercom with an expected arrival time, then navigated us into position for takeoff.
I studied Willow as we began to ascend, noting her stiff shoulders and throbbing pulse. “Is this your first flight?” I asked her.
She nodded, her nails digging into the armrest.
I nodded. “See, she’s just nervous about traveling,” I told Damien, not worried. “She’ll calm down once we land.”
He gave me a look. “No, I mean she’s too uptight in general. Harem members fawn over their royals, all pleading for another taste. She barely touches you. The others will notice and wonder why, which is the exact opposite of what you want if she’s to be your little secret. Hell, you haven’t even marked her, Ryder.”
My jaw ticked as his statements registered. I didn’t have a lot of experience with the harem mentality, as that all came about during the political reformation of our society. But he had a point in terms of her reactions to me.
Despite Willow’s clear interest, I also sensed many moments of fear, which I thought might be brought on by her experience in the breeding camp. Except she told me she still couldn’t remember what happened during her time there. I suspected she never would with whatever drugs they’d forced upon her.
I picked up my own drink, took a long swallow, and considered how to handle this.
Willow required an introduction.
And we were running out of time to facilitate the lesson.
It would also give me a reason to check her grooming habits. I could tell through the gown that she’d shaved just as I’d asked, but I wondered how thorough she was with it.
“All right.” I set my glass down and looked at Willow. “Come with me, pet.” We were at a safe enough altitude to move around.
I unbuckled myself and reached over to do the same for her, but she didn’t move, her terror permeating the air.
“See?” Damien muttered.
“Yes.” This wasn’t going to work at all. “I’ll fix it.”
Damien dipped his chin in acknowledgment, saying nothing more as my focus returned to Willow.
“I need you to stand up and follow me,” I told her. “Or we can do this here. With Damien.”
Her blue eyes shot up to mine, her lips parting at the threat I didn’t bother to hide. If she didn’t want to comply, I’d punish her. And I’d use Damien to do it.
“I told you my intentions last week,” I reminded her, referring to our conversation where I warned her that I expected to take full advantage of her sexual training in Silvano City. “It’s time to put your skills to the test. So choose, Willow. Are we doing this here or in the privacy of the back bedroom?”
I needed her on her game and ready when we landed, which gave us less than four hours to rectify this.
“You have three seconds to decide, pet.”
When I reached one on my countdown, she forced herself out of her chair, causing Damien to smirk from his chair.
“Pity.”
I ignored his side commentary, my focus on Willow. “Good choice,” I said softly, standing and leading the way to the back of the jet’s cabin. Damien might be disappointed, but I didn’t really want him involved in this. Willow was my pet to train, not his.
The scent of her fear followed me all the way to the open door near the rear of the plane and increased to a dangerous level when she saw the sizable bed waiting for us beyond the threshold. It took up the majority of the space, with a pair of nightstands on either side. And a single interior door led to a bathroom with a stall shower.
I turned and noted the tremor in Willow’s limbs, her balance uneasy on her four-inch heels. The rumble and movement of the jet probably didn’t help matters, but she remained on her feet.
“Close the door,” I told her as I removed my jacket and set it on the bed.
She complied, her gaze lowering to the floor in a perfect display of submission. Her training was kicking in, chasing away her warrior side and replacing it with a meek female.
I moved toward her, walking her into the back of the door, and placed my palms on the wood on either side of her head. It left minimal space between us, forcing her to acknowledge my presence.
“Willow,” I murmured. “Look at me.”
Her throat worked to swallow, her pulse a raging invitation that taunted my vampiric instincts. But I allowed her a moment to collect herself, then smiled internally when her blue eyes lifted to meet my gaze.
There’s my little warrior, I thought, catching the glimmer of anger flickering deep in her irises. She hated what society had turned her into. That alone was a fracture in her programming, one I intended to wholeheartedly exploit.
I slid my knee between her thighs. The slits of her gown went all the way up to her hips, making it simple to part her legs without any hindrance from the fabric. It was meant to provide easy access, and oh, did it deliver.
Her nipples beaded beneath the fabric, the little rosy buds a beacon for my tongue.
But it was her mouth that fascinated me most, the way her lips parted in delicious surprise as I pressed into her personal space.
“Have you ever been with one of my kind, sweet pet?” I asked her softly, bending to run my nose across the flush of her cheeks. She smelled amazing, her blood tempting my inner beast to steal a taste.
“No.” It came out as a whisper that would have been lost to most beneath the rumble of the jet, but I heard her just fine.
I pressed my lips to her ear and replied, “Then consider this your introduction to playing with vampires.” I would go easy on her, give her just enough to addict her to my methods, and draw out the introduction between us.
She shivered as my mouth skimmed her throat, her pulse beating a mile a minute beneath the skin. I hummed against her, taunting her flesh, while my thigh flexed between her legs, applying pressure to the place I desired to seek out with my tongue.
“If I push you too far, tell me,” I said against her ear. “Just say, ‘My Prince,’ and it ends. Unless we’re in public—then I want you to call me Ryder.”
Damien said the other day that humans were never allowed to address their superiors by their given names, which provided the perfect cover for me to escort Willow out of a room should I need to.
“What ends?” Willow asked, her hands forming fists at her sides.
“Everything,” I promised, drawing my nose along the column of her neck in a warm taunt to both of our senses. “I’m not human, Willow. My proclivities are dark. I like blood. But it’s not my wish to damage you. So if I’m really hurting you, I want to know. All right?” Some pain could be mingled with pleasure, something we would explore once I understood her true limits.
“By saying your name.”
“When we’re in public, yes. And call me My Prince when we’re in private.” My teeth skimmed her raging pulse, my incisors aching to pierce the thin membrane to reach the ambrosia beneath. But I needed this from her first. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.” A note of hesitation lurked in her tone, telling me she didn’t fully grasp the concept yet. Probably because she’d been trained to never say no. We’d fix that together.
“Do you want to call me Ryder or My Prince right now?” I asked her, testing her limit.
Her nostrils flared. “Ryder.”
I smiled. “Are you sure? We’re locked in a room and have a few hours. The things I could do to you are endless, sweetheart.”
“You’ll do them with or without my consent,” she replied with a slight bite in her tone, one that made me even harder for her.
“Oh, Willow. You don’t have to verbally consent to give me permission,” I informed her softly.
She narrowed her gaze. “Is that your excuse?”
“No, darling. It’s my explanation. Allow me to demonstrate.” I placed an open-mouthed kiss on her neck, eliciting a quiver from her. Rather than bite her, I put my hands on hips to pull her with me as I walked backward to the bed. She followed on unsteady legs, her eyes on me the whole time.
Such a good little pet, I thought, pleased with her. “I’m going to sit down, and you’re going to straddle me.”
While I enjoyed having her pressed up against the door, I suspected her legs wouldn’t be able to support her throughout our introduction. Sitting would be easier for us both.
I slid onto the bed until the mattress hit the back of my knees, and kept my feet planted on the ground. Then I pulled Willow between my spread thighs, her tremble at my nearness proving Damien’s point from the jet’s lounge area.
I’d been so consumed with the notion of teaching her how to protect herself that I’d completely missed the importance of preparing her sexually.
If she acted like this in front of the others, they’d consider her to be nothing more than food. And while being a member of my harem wasn’t all that much better, she’d at least be marked as my personal property. And no one touched a royal vampire’s property without permission.
Moving one hand down her hip to her thigh, I gave the muscle a squeeze. “Lift your leg onto the bed.”
She did as I requested, her cheeks darkening to a redder shade as the lace of her gown split to reveal her creamy flesh to my view. It served as a decadent tease, the fabric still covering the part of her that I wished to devour. Mmm, the thought of spreading her wide had me eagerly reaching for her other leg.
“Now this one,” I told her. I helped lift her off the ground as she complied with my demand, then I guided her to the place I desired, with her hot cunt pressed right against my zipper. “Bunch up your skirt, Willow. I want to feel you up against my cock.”
Defiance flickered in her gaze, there and gone in the skip of a heartbeat. I secretly hoped she’d fight me, but resolve steadied her features instead as her fingers gingerly pulled the lace upward to sit around her hips.
“Higher,” I said, wanting to see if she was as wet as I suspected.
Willow shuddered, her eyes briefly leaving mine as she brought the fabric up to her stomach. I placed a palm against her lower spine to hold her steady as I leaned back just enough to see her pretty pink flesh.
Mmm, yes, she was very thorough with that razor. I was almost jealous. Next time I’d groom her myself and taste her afterward. Because the sight of all that glistening interest made my mouth water. Alas, we didn’t have enough time for me to properly enjoy her now. So we would do this introduction a different way.
“This is why I don’t need your verbal cue,” I told her. “You’re wet for me, Willow. But I dare you to call me My Prince right now and tell me to stop.”
Her blush darkened, her lips parting on soundless words.
“Your submission is beautiful,” I whispered, pulling her forward once more to press her slick heat against my aching groin. Just enough to taunt her with a hint of the pleasure to come. “And now, I’m about to make you burn so much hotter.”
Willow’s pupils dilated. However, I caught the challenge in her gaze.
She wanted me to prove it. Or perhaps that was her way of attempting disobedience—a promise not to react.
Poor sweet pet had no idea what I could do to her. But she was about to find out.
I pressed my lips to her ear again and lowered my voice. “You’re going to soak my trousers all the way through, and I’ll wear your scent for the rest of the night. Everyone will know I played with you before arriving. They’ll crave a taste, but I’ll forbid them. Because you’re my pet, and I’m not fond of sharing.”
This new society might try to require it, but I refused to comply.
Because fuck Lilith’s rules.
Willow’s thighs tightened around mine, her arousal increasing from my words alone.
I smiled against her neck, pleased with her reaction.
“Mmm, we haven’t even properly started yet,” I murmured, running my nose along her sensitive skin to her pulse once more. I inhaled deeply, her attraction a heady scent in the air, coupled with the seductive taunt of her blood. My tongue traced her thrumming pulse, causing my dick to throb in my pants.
Fuck, it’d been a long time since I indulged in a woman, and having this one under my roof for two weeks hadn’t helped matters.
I pressed my palm into her lower back, forcing her hips to grind against mine, the friction an addictive tease I wanted more of. “Ride me,” I whispered. “Chase your pleasure, Willow.”
She clutched my shoulders, the dress falling to pool between us and stealing my view. But I didn’t care. I wanted her to lose herself, to drive herself into an oblivion by using me for her pleasure.
I sucked and nipped her throat, her neck, her collarbone, then returned to the place I needed to bite. There was no sense in drawing it out. I could feel her readiness through my trousers, and I could hear her soft intake of breath that told me she was losing herself to the moment.
She just needed a push, and I provided that with my mouth.
My incisors bit into her flesh, straight to her vein, causing her to scream in surprise. But the second her euphoric receptors kicked in, she began to moan.
