Elana woke first. David had turned away during the night, one arm under her, the other buried in the mountain of pillows over his tousled blonde head.
At this point, he was just asking for it.
She stood like a cat, tugging one arm up to a bind, then padding around the bed with bare feet to catch the other. She took hold of his free leg, then the other, the one manacled to the bedpost by a silver chain. As she tied the final knot, the jangle of his chain roused her captive.
“Elana?” He tugged at his arms, then growled, “what the fuck?”
She tutted. “And I thought I had broken you out of that nasty habit.”
His eyes widened. “Oh, shit! I mean, Princess, I thought you were the queen.”
“That’s not going to dig you out of this hole.” She tossed herself backward, landing with her head on his bicep. She ran a hand along his fuzzy armpit, up to his neck and trailed her nails across his chest again. It wasn’t enough to draw out more than a sporadic giggle.
“So,” he coughed out, “any chance I can get a shave?”
She splayed a hand across his chest. There was still nothing there even after all this time. It seemed that he was one of those rare guys who never grew any hair there. Embarrassing for them, but she loved it. Still, David’s grizzle had crawled down his neck, and as he looked at her she could see the discomfort in his eyes. “Sure.”
She got up and drifted toward the door, poking her head outside. Aldien thumped a fist against his chest. “Highness?”
“Hey Aldien. Can I get a shaving kit, please?”
“A… a what?”
“A shaving kit. For David. And don’t worry about the barber.” She paused. “You know what? I think I’ll call the day today.”
The guard stared at her. “The queen will be furious, Highness.”
“Let her be furious. She damaged my mark. There are consequences for that.” Elana ducked back inside.
David whistled from his spot on the bed. “Nice, Princess.”
She bounded across the room, but stopped halfway to pick up the little bag she had dropped. “I forgot about this.”
Every muscle in David’s body tensed. Despite himself, he was still scared of her. She sighed under her breath, pulled a small box from the bag, and freed a tight, thick metal necklace. A crooked rod hung from its end.
“That looks like a collar.”
“It’s not, I swear.” She climbed on top of him, pulling the rod from its chain. “Can I show you something?”
He pouted. “Don’t have much of a choice, Princess.”
A smirk touched her lips. “Right.” She hesitated, then kissed his forehead before hopping off his hips. David watched as she drifted toward his feet, clenching his toes. She patted the top of his left foot, popped the thin rod into the shackle holding his leg, and twisted her wrist.
The fur-lined manacle fell into her waiting hand.
David’s breath caught as she set aside what had kept him trapped in her quarters. “What did you do?”
“You’re not the only one who’s a bit underhanded.” She squeezed his kneecap, making him jump. “I made a mold when that official came over a while ago. Royalty likes to keep an eye on the best forgers in Astal.” She waggled the key. “The better question is, what will you do?”
David pondered the question. It was fair. He had his duties, like she had hers. But she couldn’t make a mistake here. David was a prisoner. A sweet, beautiful prisoner, but a prisoner all the same. He was dangerous by nature and had proven how easily he could overpower her.
His eyes said something different. The brown pools were far from broken, but they weren’t the blazing things that cursed her when he was first thrown in her room.
“I don’t know,” came his soft reply.
Elana nodded. “That’s okay.”
There was a knock at the door. She paced back to it to find Aldien, holding a bag and a flat knife. “Are you sure you don’t want someone to help you?”
She nodded and took the kit. “I’m fine.”
Elana let the door close behind her, then set the kit and blade on the vanity. She untied David but left the anklet and key on the bed, coaxing him by his wrists to the mirror. It had been outside his radius, probably to keep him from smashing it and using the glass as a weapon.
She had no doubt that would have happened that first night. But he was stumbling every time his left foot hit the floor, too used to the weight of the chain.
She smiled and sat him on the bench before the vanity. “Some rebel.”
“I’ve had ten pounds strapped to my foot for ages,” he grumbled, glancing at the mirror. Half of his mussed hair stuck straight up; the other half was plastered to the side of his head. “Ah, gods.”
Elana frowned. “What, you’re not going to fix it?”
“How?”
She flipped open one of the dresser’s many drawers and tugged a comb free, along with a rag. A fresh pitcher had been set aside. She poured a dash of water into a bowl on the vanity and dipped the rag. “Lean forward.”
He stared. “I’m not a kid you can push around.”
She shoved his back, making sure to give the top of his sensitive shoulders a decent scratch.
<i>“Eep!” </i>His forearms knocked into the vanity and shook the entire thing, but he tensed as the water seeped through his matted hair and reached his scalp. Elana dug into the mess, freeing what had to be months of indifference. Every few moments he’d clench his teeth, but she’d run more water through the spot and he’d let her work again.
It took her an age to pick through the back of his head, but when she reached for the comb, David slammed a hand over it.
She grazed his fingers and pried the tool free. “You’ll be fine.”
She worked it through the clean areas she had created and stopped when he winced, the hair from a different, ruined spot. Elana reached around him to clean the sweat from the hair at his forehead and by his ears. That was untangled, and she straightened it with the comb.
They both stared at his reflection. His hair was still a mess, ruffled and badly cut, but in the rough way only David could pull off.
Still, blonde scruff had sprouted down his chin and under his neck. He rubbed it with a wince. “It itches.”
“It looks like it.” She opened the bag that Aldien had given her, then paused. “Your cheek.”
He peered into the mirror. The purple bruise the queen had given him was already fading to yellow, leaving just the cut from her ring. “I heal quick. In the circuit, you either fight through it or get over it.”
Elana glanced over the scars on the gladiator’s bare chest again, then went back to the shaving kit. Soap, rag, dish, and the blade was already set out. Perfect.
She sat on the dresser, wetting the rag.
David paused as she lathered up her hands. <i>“You’re</i> going to do this?”
“I’m the only one here.” She brushed a thumb against his rough face, rubbing soap under the stiff hair. He hummed under his breath and craned his head to let her reach the rest of his neck. Elana obliged, then after dragging her fingers through every inch of his rough stubble, brought the soap to a thick lather. White fluff slid down his neck onto his chest.
She raised the blade in one hand and worked the thumb of her free hand between his arm and ribs. “Let’s see if you can stay still.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I’m not serious.” Relief filled his eyes. “But really, hold still.”
Elana straddled his lap, raising the blade with two hands. She slowly lifted the lather off and dunked the blade clean before starting once more, hands steady. He tensed as she reached his neck— old reflex, maybe— but he let her keep working.
She cleaned off the last of the soap and let him touch his chin. “How’d I do?”
“Pretty well. I couldn’t even tell it was your first time,” he cracked.
She noticed the lump that had been pressing between her legs for gods-know how long. It was her fault, not David’s. She pet it as she stood, and he jumped. “How do you know it was my first time?”
He flushed. “Because you’re a princess.”
“Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean I don’t have experience, rebel.” She glanced at the blade, then tossed it onto the vanity.
“Do you have experience?”
It was her turn to redden, and she paced away. “No.”
“So why are we arguing?” David spun, one knee on the bench, one leg on its far side.
“This isn’t arguing, this is— oh—”
As she turned, David pounced, catching her around the middle. Shit, she had left the blade on the vanity. Was this it, his escape attempt? Aldien would surely catch him before he got a step out the door. But she’d be long dead by then, and if David had the knife—
But David simply brought them both down to the plush carpet around her vanity, dresser, and closet. He landed on top of her hips, one hand catching both of her wrists and pinning them over her head. The lump in his pants had grown sizably larger, but he was focused on her face and the hair that had been tossed across it.
“You are a tease.” He smiled as he brushed the black strands from her eyes. “And you will pay for that.”
What did that mean?
The truth quickly came out as David ran the fingers of his free hand down her side.
The flinch multiplied and she had to swallow a yelp. If she made any sound, Aldien would barge into the bedroom and find David free of his chain. David would be thrown into Dalle for sure and she would never be trusted again.
“I can tease too,” David mocked, running a finger across her clothed stomach.
“Bastard,” she hissed through clenched teeth. He was her build, but much bigger. No amount of bucking would knock him off.
“I wouldn’t know.” He leaned closer to her face, making her pause, lunge up, and capture his lips in hers. He straightened, releasing her, and she slid onto his lap as he knelt, her arms wrapped around his neck. She broke the kiss and pressed her forehead to his. His brown eyes were glazed over, but with something more than primal lust.
She brought his chin up to hers again, tongues exploring each other’s mouths. She felt David curl his hands under her and stand, but her eyes were pressed closed, his breath hot on her cheek.
They landed on the bed, him hovering over her. She wouldn’t let go of his shoulders, and slowly he pushed them both to the foot of the pillow mound. As her head hit the base, she jerked free and shoved him over. He bounced onto the mattress with a grunt, then groaned as she reached for the silk binds. “C’mon, Princess.”
“This is for the stunt you just pulled back there.” She tied off his right arm.
“You didn’t say anything.”
Unlike him. But complaining was all he did as she pinned back his other arm. He was unchained. He had access to a knife. One punch, even, and she was down. He had already planned out how he would take care of Aldien outside, the castle after that, and for the sake of it, the entire gods-forsaken kingdom.
He wanted to stay. It might have to do with the tent in his pants. It had gotten bigger.
“I’m the tease.” She crawled up the side of the bed to him. “Have I been wandering around<i> your </i>bedchambers half-bare for a week?” She traced the lines of twiggy muscle crossing his chest. “I’m in charge of making you suffer. Well, you’re pretty insufferable.”
He scoffed, flinching as she ran a nail over his nipple. “I think you’re starting to enjoy this.”
She rolled and placed one arm across his chest. “You’re not wrong. There’s something fun about having you… trapped like this.” She marched a pair of fingers up the scar on his stomach.
<i>“GAH!” </i>He arched his back with a howl, then glared at her as she pulled her hand back. “Don’t do that!”
“This?” She poked a finger into his navel. He jerked in his bonds with a scream.
<i>“FUCK! </i>What do you want, Elana?”
“Good question.” She sat up. “I don’t know.” His face caught her eye. The same haughty features that had declared war on her kingdom three months ago. “Right. I want to see your pretty face cry.”
“What? No! You sadistic little—” he choked as she dug into his hips. <i>“Nahahah, gahahads! NO!”</i>
“There’s one tear.” She wiped it off his temple and cleaned it off on his lip. “How many more will you have to cry before you repay for the food your armies stole?”
He stared up at her, but it just made his eyes well up more. She laughed as she traced down the center of his chest, collecting his tears and smearing them across his knife scars. Maybe she had turned a little sadistic. But David was just so fun to play with.
“Let’s see… some for the borough south of here.” She rubbed her fingers into his ribs. He bucked, but the rebel couldn’t dislodge her. “Another few for the fields in western territories.” She swept her fingers up to his underarms, making him scream in surprise. A finger strayed up to brush under his chin, baiting his head down. Elana watched his face go from ruddy to red, drool slipping from his mouth.
Egotistical rebel. A “hero” with a holier-than-thou attitude to everything in life.
She smiled and straightened. David sighed, licking his lips. He struggled to wipe his ruined face clean on his pinned bicep. “Princess, what was that for?”
“A reminder,” she replied, “of your place here.” She leaned across his sweaty face and kissed his forehead, but dug two fingers into his underarms on the way. He yelped. “Anywhere else, you would not be this well off. Far from it.” She traced the wound Taria had left on his face, then pressed her weight against his shoulders. It didn’t hurt him, just sent him sinking into the overstuffed mattress. Pinned as he was, he gasped, forcing his head up. Not from pain, but he may as well have been buried alive.
“No, David,” Elana continued, “you would have been executed.”
“Is this because of what happened?” he tried, struggling against the downy mattress.
“What do you think?”
“I’m sorry for binding your hands,” he begged. “I know it was a mistake, Princess, and I will make it up to you. I… I just wanted to make you feel as good as you make me.”
Elana sat back. David’s chest bounced to the top of the sheets again, and the claustrophobia and pressure eased. He took a deep breath.
“You’ll still be punished, David.”
He closed his eyes. “I understand, Princess.”
She stood. David tensed as her weight left the bed. She padded lightly to the far side of the bed and untied his legs.
At this David froze stiff. She brought his feet together, then yanked off his pants, making him gasp. She snapped his wretched anklet back on and brought his legs back to their bindings.
Once again, given half a chance David rose, already half awake from earlier. One touch from Elana had him throbbing. He bucked, arching his back.
“Ah, Princess, you said this was a punishment,” he muttered.
“You need to learn how to quiet your mouth.” She half-filled a cup from the chilled water pitcher and tossed it across his stomach.
<i>“Ah!” </i>David writhed. His erection began to subside.
“Nope, not you.” Elana coaxed it back up without much effort.
David’s breath came hard, but he closed his eyes as she wrapped a hand around him. “I’m sorry, Princess.”
“You’re about to be.” Elana tugged a long rag from under the bed and stretched it out. David watched in horror as she stood and made her way over. “Here you go, rebel.”
With careful hands she blindfolded him, then returned to his side.
Her next touch sent his back as taught a bowstring, fists clenched in his bonds. She smiled. This was going to be even more fun than tickling him.
“Let’s see. You think you can do what you feel like because you’re bigger than me.” She pumped a hand around his shaft.
A trail of drool escaped David’s lips. “Please, Princess, a little faster.”
“No, I think this is fast enough.” One long stroke up, another down at a snail’s pace. David shook. She could imagine his eyes rolling in their sockets.
“Please…”
“No.” Another slow stroke up, a finger caressing his member’s head. David flexed his arms, balling fists around the ties.
“I’m sorry, Princess.”
Her lips twitched up. “Too late, rebel. You’ve been found guilty of teasing me. I sentence you to… one hour of this.”
His mouth fell open, but a moan slid out as she lifted his balls in one hand, toying with them. “Ah, Princess,” he groaned as she trailed two fingers along the underside of his shaft, “you torture me worse than any Dalle guard ever could.”
“That’s the idea, rebel.” Sweat slowly seeped into David’s blindfold. Watching him squirm and beg would never bore her, but simply running her fingers over his shaft did. She’d constantly wrap her hands around it and pump furiously until he arched in his bonds, then she’d let go. David would whimper, then whine, and she’d just keep going. One advantage of the blindfold was that he had no idea how much time had passed.
But she was true to her word, and the hour wound down. She had been too rough. He would be begging for a proper orgasm, but how to give it to him?
She stood. David jumped. “Elana, please. I don’t care. Just… please.”
In one step she made it to the top of the bed and tangled his lips in hers, a hand running through his sweaty hair. He didn’t miss a beat, lifting himself off the pillow as she pulled away. She ripped off his blindfold and met weary brown eyes, still lustful despite themselves. Then she pressed her knees onto the bed again, straddling his right leg.
“I can’t do this anymore, Princess. You’ve broken me. Happy?” David closed his eyes.
His face was sweaty and achingly resigned. That was right. He was meant to be broken. But at the same time…
“C’mon, rebel. I can’t be happy if you’re not happy.” She blew hot air on him, then hesitantly took him into her mouth.
David jerked despite the abuse he had taken. His eyes snapped open to see her black tresses spilling across his bare legs. She met his gaze, then focused back on her work. He had done the same for her.
She wrapped her lips about her teeth, bobbing her head slowly lower until he began to choke her. Her other hand worked in tandem, bouncing against her chin. David grunted, then spasmed, gasping.
Something salty filled Elana’s mouth. She sat up, catching the white that spilled from her lips on the back of her hand. David was finally going soft, though he had given up some time before. She stood, wiped her hand on the well-used rag, then spun about the bedposts, freeing him. As she loosened the ties on his hands, she curled on top of the pillows about his head. When David sat up to stretch, she slid under him, his head on her stomach.
“I went too far again, didn’t I?”
“Yes,” he sighed, “but you sure know how to make up for it.” He pulled her into another kiss. “Feel free to sentence me again any time. I am a rebel, after all.”
She smiled, running a hand across David’s collarbone.
The door slammed open.
Elana froze, but David knew full and well what to do. He kicked his legs and scrabbled at her arm, screaming. “Oh, stop it! Fuck! Stop it!”
Elana looked down in shock, then dug her fingers into the underarm her hug exposed.
<i>“FUCK! STAHAP!” </i>
The things the boy would do to protect her.
Queen Taria stood in the doorway, horrified. “Why is he naked?”
Elana hesitated, but David managed to stop protecting his side, instead clapping a hand over himself. “No! Don’t remind her!”
Elana raised her eyebrows at the queen, her smile wicked.
“There are better things to do to him if he’s like that,” Taria reasoned.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. Right, David?” Elana jabbed him in the side. David squealed.
“It’s always necessary with his type.” Taria set her jaw. “It’s late. I’ll show you what to do tomorrow.” She closed the door.
David untangled himself from Elana. “I don’t like that.”
“You’re telling me.” She bit her lip, her eyes still trained on the door. “She’s going to hurt you, David.”
He hugged his knees to his chest, working his hands, then gave up, backing into her stomach. “Elana… I’m scared.”
His voice was soft and quavering. He shivered against her, and she ran a hand through his messy hair. “I know. Rest, rebel. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”
At this point, he was just asking for it.
She stood like a cat, tugging one arm up to a bind, then padding around the bed with bare feet to catch the other. She took hold of his free leg, then the other, the one manacled to the bedpost by a silver chain. As she tied the final knot, the jangle of his chain roused her captive.
“Elana?” He tugged at his arms, then growled, “what the fuck?”
She tutted. “And I thought I had broken you out of that nasty habit.”
His eyes widened. “Oh, shit! I mean, Princess, I thought you were the queen.”
“That’s not going to dig you out of this hole.” She tossed herself backward, landing with her head on his bicep. She ran a hand along his fuzzy armpit, up to his neck and trailed her nails across his chest again. It wasn’t enough to draw out more than a sporadic giggle.
“So,” he coughed out, “any chance I can get a shave?”
She splayed a hand across his chest. There was still nothing there even after all this time. It seemed that he was one of those rare guys who never grew any hair there. Embarrassing for them, but she loved it. Still, David’s grizzle had crawled down his neck, and as he looked at her she could see the discomfort in his eyes. “Sure.”
She got up and drifted toward the door, poking her head outside. Aldien thumped a fist against his chest. “Highness?”
“Hey Aldien. Can I get a shaving kit, please?”
“A… a what?”
“A shaving kit. For David. And don’t worry about the barber.” She paused. “You know what? I think I’ll call the day today.”
The guard stared at her. “The queen will be furious, Highness.”
“Let her be furious. She damaged my mark. There are consequences for that.” Elana ducked back inside.
David whistled from his spot on the bed. “Nice, Princess.”
She bounded across the room, but stopped halfway to pick up the little bag she had dropped. “I forgot about this.”
Every muscle in David’s body tensed. Despite himself, he was still scared of her. She sighed under her breath, pulled a small box from the bag, and freed a tight, thick metal necklace. A crooked rod hung from its end.
“That looks like a collar.”
“It’s not, I swear.” She climbed on top of him, pulling the rod from its chain. “Can I show you something?”
He pouted. “Don’t have much of a choice, Princess.”
A smirk touched her lips. “Right.” She hesitated, then kissed his forehead before hopping off his hips. David watched as she drifted toward his feet, clenching his toes. She patted the top of his left foot, popped the thin rod into the shackle holding his leg, and twisted her wrist.
The fur-lined manacle fell into her waiting hand.
David’s breath caught as she set aside what had kept him trapped in her quarters. “What did you do?”
“You’re not the only one who’s a bit underhanded.” She squeezed his kneecap, making him jump. “I made a mold when that official came over a while ago. Royalty likes to keep an eye on the best forgers in Astal.” She waggled the key. “The better question is, what will you do?”
David pondered the question. It was fair. He had his duties, like she had hers. But she couldn’t make a mistake here. David was a prisoner. A sweet, beautiful prisoner, but a prisoner all the same. He was dangerous by nature and had proven how easily he could overpower her.
His eyes said something different. The brown pools were far from broken, but they weren’t the blazing things that cursed her when he was first thrown in her room.
“I don’t know,” came his soft reply.
Elana nodded. “That’s okay.”
There was a knock at the door. She paced back to it to find Aldien, holding a bag and a flat knife. “Are you sure you don’t want someone to help you?”
She nodded and took the kit. “I’m fine.”
Elana let the door close behind her, then set the kit and blade on the vanity. She untied David but left the anklet and key on the bed, coaxing him by his wrists to the mirror. It had been outside his radius, probably to keep him from smashing it and using the glass as a weapon.
She had no doubt that would have happened that first night. But he was stumbling every time his left foot hit the floor, too used to the weight of the chain.
She smiled and sat him on the bench before the vanity. “Some rebel.”
“I’ve had ten pounds strapped to my foot for ages,” he grumbled, glancing at the mirror. Half of his mussed hair stuck straight up; the other half was plastered to the side of his head. “Ah, gods.”
Elana frowned. “What, you’re not going to fix it?”
“How?”
She flipped open one of the dresser’s many drawers and tugged a comb free, along with a rag. A fresh pitcher had been set aside. She poured a dash of water into a bowl on the vanity and dipped the rag. “Lean forward.”
He stared. “I’m not a kid you can push around.”
She shoved his back, making sure to give the top of his sensitive shoulders a decent scratch.
<i>“Eep!” </i>His forearms knocked into the vanity and shook the entire thing, but he tensed as the water seeped through his matted hair and reached his scalp. Elana dug into the mess, freeing what had to be months of indifference. Every few moments he’d clench his teeth, but she’d run more water through the spot and he’d let her work again.
It took her an age to pick through the back of his head, but when she reached for the comb, David slammed a hand over it.
She grazed his fingers and pried the tool free. “You’ll be fine.”
She worked it through the clean areas she had created and stopped when he winced, the hair from a different, ruined spot. Elana reached around him to clean the sweat from the hair at his forehead and by his ears. That was untangled, and she straightened it with the comb.
They both stared at his reflection. His hair was still a mess, ruffled and badly cut, but in the rough way only David could pull off.
Still, blonde scruff had sprouted down his chin and under his neck. He rubbed it with a wince. “It itches.”
“It looks like it.” She opened the bag that Aldien had given her, then paused. “Your cheek.”
He peered into the mirror. The purple bruise the queen had given him was already fading to yellow, leaving just the cut from her ring. “I heal quick. In the circuit, you either fight through it or get over it.”
Elana glanced over the scars on the gladiator’s bare chest again, then went back to the shaving kit. Soap, rag, dish, and the blade was already set out. Perfect.
She sat on the dresser, wetting the rag.
David paused as she lathered up her hands. <i>“You’re</i> going to do this?”
“I’m the only one here.” She brushed a thumb against his rough face, rubbing soap under the stiff hair. He hummed under his breath and craned his head to let her reach the rest of his neck. Elana obliged, then after dragging her fingers through every inch of his rough stubble, brought the soap to a thick lather. White fluff slid down his neck onto his chest.
She raised the blade in one hand and worked the thumb of her free hand between his arm and ribs. “Let’s see if you can stay still.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I’m not serious.” Relief filled his eyes. “But really, hold still.”
Elana straddled his lap, raising the blade with two hands. She slowly lifted the lather off and dunked the blade clean before starting once more, hands steady. He tensed as she reached his neck— old reflex, maybe— but he let her keep working.
She cleaned off the last of the soap and let him touch his chin. “How’d I do?”
“Pretty well. I couldn’t even tell it was your first time,” he cracked.
She noticed the lump that had been pressing between her legs for gods-know how long. It was her fault, not David’s. She pet it as she stood, and he jumped. “How do you know it was my first time?”
He flushed. “Because you’re a princess.”
“Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean I don’t have experience, rebel.” She glanced at the blade, then tossed it onto the vanity.
“Do you have experience?”
It was her turn to redden, and she paced away. “No.”
“So why are we arguing?” David spun, one knee on the bench, one leg on its far side.
“This isn’t arguing, this is— oh—”
As she turned, David pounced, catching her around the middle. Shit, she had left the blade on the vanity. Was this it, his escape attempt? Aldien would surely catch him before he got a step out the door. But she’d be long dead by then, and if David had the knife—
But David simply brought them both down to the plush carpet around her vanity, dresser, and closet. He landed on top of her hips, one hand catching both of her wrists and pinning them over her head. The lump in his pants had grown sizably larger, but he was focused on her face and the hair that had been tossed across it.
“You are a tease.” He smiled as he brushed the black strands from her eyes. “And you will pay for that.”
What did that mean?
The truth quickly came out as David ran the fingers of his free hand down her side.
The flinch multiplied and she had to swallow a yelp. If she made any sound, Aldien would barge into the bedroom and find David free of his chain. David would be thrown into Dalle for sure and she would never be trusted again.
“I can tease too,” David mocked, running a finger across her clothed stomach.
“Bastard,” she hissed through clenched teeth. He was her build, but much bigger. No amount of bucking would knock him off.
“I wouldn’t know.” He leaned closer to her face, making her pause, lunge up, and capture his lips in hers. He straightened, releasing her, and she slid onto his lap as he knelt, her arms wrapped around his neck. She broke the kiss and pressed her forehead to his. His brown eyes were glazed over, but with something more than primal lust.
She brought his chin up to hers again, tongues exploring each other’s mouths. She felt David curl his hands under her and stand, but her eyes were pressed closed, his breath hot on her cheek.
They landed on the bed, him hovering over her. She wouldn’t let go of his shoulders, and slowly he pushed them both to the foot of the pillow mound. As her head hit the base, she jerked free and shoved him over. He bounced onto the mattress with a grunt, then groaned as she reached for the silk binds. “C’mon, Princess.”
“This is for the stunt you just pulled back there.” She tied off his right arm.
“You didn’t say anything.”
Unlike him. But complaining was all he did as she pinned back his other arm. He was unchained. He had access to a knife. One punch, even, and she was down. He had already planned out how he would take care of Aldien outside, the castle after that, and for the sake of it, the entire gods-forsaken kingdom.
He wanted to stay. It might have to do with the tent in his pants. It had gotten bigger.
“I’m the tease.” She crawled up the side of the bed to him. “Have I been wandering around<i> your </i>bedchambers half-bare for a week?” She traced the lines of twiggy muscle crossing his chest. “I’m in charge of making you suffer. Well, you’re pretty insufferable.”
He scoffed, flinching as she ran a nail over his nipple. “I think you’re starting to enjoy this.”
She rolled and placed one arm across his chest. “You’re not wrong. There’s something fun about having you… trapped like this.” She marched a pair of fingers up the scar on his stomach.
<i>“GAH!” </i>He arched his back with a howl, then glared at her as she pulled her hand back. “Don’t do that!”
“This?” She poked a finger into his navel. He jerked in his bonds with a scream.
<i>“FUCK! </i>What do you want, Elana?”
“Good question.” She sat up. “I don’t know.” His face caught her eye. The same haughty features that had declared war on her kingdom three months ago. “Right. I want to see your pretty face cry.”
“What? No! You sadistic little—” he choked as she dug into his hips. <i>“Nahahah, gahahads! NO!”</i>
“There’s one tear.” She wiped it off his temple and cleaned it off on his lip. “How many more will you have to cry before you repay for the food your armies stole?”
He stared up at her, but it just made his eyes well up more. She laughed as she traced down the center of his chest, collecting his tears and smearing them across his knife scars. Maybe she had turned a little sadistic. But David was just so fun to play with.
“Let’s see… some for the borough south of here.” She rubbed her fingers into his ribs. He bucked, but the rebel couldn’t dislodge her. “Another few for the fields in western territories.” She swept her fingers up to his underarms, making him scream in surprise. A finger strayed up to brush under his chin, baiting his head down. Elana watched his face go from ruddy to red, drool slipping from his mouth.
Egotistical rebel. A “hero” with a holier-than-thou attitude to everything in life.
She smiled and straightened. David sighed, licking his lips. He struggled to wipe his ruined face clean on his pinned bicep. “Princess, what was that for?”
“A reminder,” she replied, “of your place here.” She leaned across his sweaty face and kissed his forehead, but dug two fingers into his underarms on the way. He yelped. “Anywhere else, you would not be this well off. Far from it.” She traced the wound Taria had left on his face, then pressed her weight against his shoulders. It didn’t hurt him, just sent him sinking into the overstuffed mattress. Pinned as he was, he gasped, forcing his head up. Not from pain, but he may as well have been buried alive.
“No, David,” Elana continued, “you would have been executed.”
“Is this because of what happened?” he tried, struggling against the downy mattress.
“What do you think?”
“I’m sorry for binding your hands,” he begged. “I know it was a mistake, Princess, and I will make it up to you. I… I just wanted to make you feel as good as you make me.”
Elana sat back. David’s chest bounced to the top of the sheets again, and the claustrophobia and pressure eased. He took a deep breath.
“You’ll still be punished, David.”
He closed his eyes. “I understand, Princess.”
She stood. David tensed as her weight left the bed. She padded lightly to the far side of the bed and untied his legs.
At this David froze stiff. She brought his feet together, then yanked off his pants, making him gasp. She snapped his wretched anklet back on and brought his legs back to their bindings.
Once again, given half a chance David rose, already half awake from earlier. One touch from Elana had him throbbing. He bucked, arching his back.
“Ah, Princess, you said this was a punishment,” he muttered.
“You need to learn how to quiet your mouth.” She half-filled a cup from the chilled water pitcher and tossed it across his stomach.
<i>“Ah!” </i>David writhed. His erection began to subside.
“Nope, not you.” Elana coaxed it back up without much effort.
David’s breath came hard, but he closed his eyes as she wrapped a hand around him. “I’m sorry, Princess.”
“You’re about to be.” Elana tugged a long rag from under the bed and stretched it out. David watched in horror as she stood and made her way over. “Here you go, rebel.”
With careful hands she blindfolded him, then returned to his side.
Her next touch sent his back as taught a bowstring, fists clenched in his bonds. She smiled. This was going to be even more fun than tickling him.
“Let’s see. You think you can do what you feel like because you’re bigger than me.” She pumped a hand around his shaft.
A trail of drool escaped David’s lips. “Please, Princess, a little faster.”
“No, I think this is fast enough.” One long stroke up, another down at a snail’s pace. David shook. She could imagine his eyes rolling in their sockets.
“Please…”
“No.” Another slow stroke up, a finger caressing his member’s head. David flexed his arms, balling fists around the ties.
“I’m sorry, Princess.”
Her lips twitched up. “Too late, rebel. You’ve been found guilty of teasing me. I sentence you to… one hour of this.”
His mouth fell open, but a moan slid out as she lifted his balls in one hand, toying with them. “Ah, Princess,” he groaned as she trailed two fingers along the underside of his shaft, “you torture me worse than any Dalle guard ever could.”
“That’s the idea, rebel.” Sweat slowly seeped into David’s blindfold. Watching him squirm and beg would never bore her, but simply running her fingers over his shaft did. She’d constantly wrap her hands around it and pump furiously until he arched in his bonds, then she’d let go. David would whimper, then whine, and she’d just keep going. One advantage of the blindfold was that he had no idea how much time had passed.
But she was true to her word, and the hour wound down. She had been too rough. He would be begging for a proper orgasm, but how to give it to him?
She stood. David jumped. “Elana, please. I don’t care. Just… please.”
In one step she made it to the top of the bed and tangled his lips in hers, a hand running through his sweaty hair. He didn’t miss a beat, lifting himself off the pillow as she pulled away. She ripped off his blindfold and met weary brown eyes, still lustful despite themselves. Then she pressed her knees onto the bed again, straddling his right leg.
“I can’t do this anymore, Princess. You’ve broken me. Happy?” David closed his eyes.
His face was sweaty and achingly resigned. That was right. He was meant to be broken. But at the same time…
“C’mon, rebel. I can’t be happy if you’re not happy.” She blew hot air on him, then hesitantly took him into her mouth.
David jerked despite the abuse he had taken. His eyes snapped open to see her black tresses spilling across his bare legs. She met his gaze, then focused back on her work. He had done the same for her.
She wrapped her lips about her teeth, bobbing her head slowly lower until he began to choke her. Her other hand worked in tandem, bouncing against her chin. David grunted, then spasmed, gasping.
Something salty filled Elana’s mouth. She sat up, catching the white that spilled from her lips on the back of her hand. David was finally going soft, though he had given up some time before. She stood, wiped her hand on the well-used rag, then spun about the bedposts, freeing him. As she loosened the ties on his hands, she curled on top of the pillows about his head. When David sat up to stretch, she slid under him, his head on her stomach.
“I went too far again, didn’t I?”
“Yes,” he sighed, “but you sure know how to make up for it.” He pulled her into another kiss. “Feel free to sentence me again any time. I am a rebel, after all.”
She smiled, running a hand across David’s collarbone.
The door slammed open.
Elana froze, but David knew full and well what to do. He kicked his legs and scrabbled at her arm, screaming. “Oh, stop it! Fuck! Stop it!”
Elana looked down in shock, then dug her fingers into the underarm her hug exposed.
<i>“FUCK! STAHAP!” </i>
The things the boy would do to protect her.
Queen Taria stood in the doorway, horrified. “Why is he naked?”
Elana hesitated, but David managed to stop protecting his side, instead clapping a hand over himself. “No! Don’t remind her!”
Elana raised her eyebrows at the queen, her smile wicked.
“There are better things to do to him if he’s like that,” Taria reasoned.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. Right, David?” Elana jabbed him in the side. David squealed.
“It’s always necessary with his type.” Taria set her jaw. “It’s late. I’ll show you what to do tomorrow.” She closed the door.
David untangled himself from Elana. “I don’t like that.”
“You’re telling me.” She bit her lip, her eyes still trained on the door. “She’s going to hurt you, David.”
He hugged his knees to his chest, working his hands, then gave up, backing into her stomach. “Elana… I’m scared.”
His voice was soft and quavering. He shivered against her, and she ran a hand through his messy hair. “I know. Rest, rebel. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”
