The door clicked shut behind the last glittering fairy. Lily looked up and still further up. The top of her head barely reached his chest. He could probably envelop her whole body and lift her with just one arm. And she was now alone with him, completely at his mercy.
She cleared her throat and managed to speak.
“I’m sorry if I offended you, my lord.”
He grinned. He knew exactly why she was apologizing and what she meant by that.Please, be gentle. Don’t punish me.
“Don’t worry, little lamb. You spoke frankly. Only a foolish man views a woman’s honesty as a fault.”
Lily had no idea what to answer to that. She waited for him to say more, or to pounce on her, but he made no motion in her direction. He just stood and watched her, unblinking. His stare made her feel more naked than if she had no clothes on. She felt he was assessing her very soul.
The tension was unbearable. Lily took a deep breath and stepped closer to the king. When her forehead almost touched his chest, she raised her hand and put it against his skin. The lightest touch, like a butterfly.
His red skin felt smooth and dry under her trembling fingertips. He was warm, and his chest moved with every breath. Lily looked up but she had to take a step back to see his face.
He looked at her with dark intensity. He caught her chin lightly in his hand and held her face turned up to him as he slowly bent down. For a moment, Lily feared his huge horns would drag his head down and make him fall on top of her, but his strength was immense.
He controlled every movement. Slowly, he bent lower and lower until his red, feral face was level with hers.
He caught her lip with his teeth and Lily gasped. His tongue darted inside her surprised mouth and the taste of him filled her every thought. After a moment of paralyzing hesitation, she returned the kiss, pushing her tongue in his hot mouth, letting it touch the sharp edges of his beastly canines, letting his hot breath envelop her senses.
His enormous hand moved down her back and rested on her butt, covering it all. Lily pressed herself against him, trying to get closer to his manhood, eager to feel it against her body.
But the way he was bent over her made that impossible. She moved her hands up his neck and to the side of his head, touching the smooth surface of his horns. His tongue assaulted her mouth with more ferocity, and she responded with equal heat, devouring him as he devoured her.
Suddenly, he stepped back. Lily lost her balance and almost fell.
“Why did you come here?” he asked.
Lily raised her eyebrows. Breathless and confused, she saw no other choice but to tell him the truth.
“My sister was chosen by the village council. She didn’t want to come to your castle. So I put on the veil and pretended to be her. I’m too old to be chosen, myself.”
For a moment, his face looked utterly blank. But something lit up in his eyes, something rabid, which belied his calm tone of voice.
“Why didn’t your sister just say she didn’t want to come?”
Tread carefully, screamed Lily’s instincts.
“Well, being selected to… to serve you… is a great honor. My lord. Nobody refuses.”
His nostrils flared. Lily took an involuntary step back.
“So, none of the previous brides had been given a choice?”
Lily fidgeted for a moment, wondering if the village council were in danger, and more importantly, what this conversation meant for her.
“My lord, they were given a choice. I mean, as long as they agreed,” she said and gave him a smile she hoped didn’t look too nervous.
“But no one forced you,” he said. “You’re here of your own free will.”
She nodded.
He snorted and threw his head, and suddenly, there was nothing of the man left—only the monster. Lily hiccupped, overcome by an instinct to run. But he was on her, lifting her, throwing her on the bed. There was nothing of the gentleness from her dream. The king pawed at her dress, ripping it to pieces. He bent his head low over her body… and sniffed.
He spread her legs wide open, not minding her feeble protests. He looked at her exposed core and Lily knew she was blushing but did nothing to cover herself. The way he looked at her made her throb with greater need. The look in his eyes was hungry and intense. He licked his lips, transfixed by the sight of her.
“You are fertile, little human.”
