Chapter 17: Her Dragonblood Kiss
The warm breath slipped straight into my ear and raced down into my skull before I could pull away. My neck locked tight at the feel of Vespera's exhale, shoulders curling inward like they wanted to hide me from her. A thin, shaky sound broke from my lips.
"Oh my…♥" Her voice stayed soft, almost playful. "Your ears really are such a weak spot, aren't they, my sweet boy…♥"
Her fingers moved again, slow and knowing, tracing the line of my groin through the thin fabric of my robes. The touch was too deliberate, too teasing, like she was mapping every inch of me and waiting for the exact second I'd break. My thoughts refused to line up. Everything felt like that nightmare all over again.
"W-wait… Your Holiness…"
"Yes♥ Lirian…♥"
"P-please… take your hand away…"
A low, satisfied hum rolled out of her, warm against my skin. "As you wish…♥"
She drew her fingers back, but the reluctance in the motion was obvious. Those golden eyes of hers flickered, and the look in them dragged up memories I didn't want. The heavy perfume that always clung to her wrapped around me again—sweet, thick, impossible to ignore. That smile she tried to keep hidden carried the same sharp edge I'd seen before. Her irises swirled with open hunger.
No. It couldn't be.
I shoved my chair back and leaned over the table, eyes hunting for the small marks I prayed weren't there. If the nightmare had been real, the evidence would still be carved into the wood. It had to be impossible. It had to be.
I forced a slow breath through my nose. Calm down. The marks won't be there. They can't be.
My palm pressed flat against the tabletop.
Her hand covered mine instantly, warm and heavy. The full softness of her breasts pushed into my back, nudging me like she was scolding a child who'd wandered too far.
"Who said you could leave my side?"
She laced her fingers through mine, squeezing hard enough that the pressure bordered on pain. She hated it when I pulled away even an inch. But right then I couldn't spare the attention.
Right beneath where she always sat, the wood bore a cluster of small, perfectly spaced holes. They looked like they'd been punched in by something sharp and repeated, the same size, the same depth. The dream images slammed through my head in a sick rush.
"Lirian… leaving my side without permission…"
A choked noise clawed its way out of my throat.
"You've been very naughty. I think you need a proper punishment♥"
"Hngh… Vespera… why are you doing this…"
"…Oh?"
She caught my waist and spun me around to face her. Her grip on my ass tightened, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. Every piece of that nightmare had been real. Every single second.
"Say my name again… just once more…♥"
"Vespera… don't…"
A visible shiver ran through her whole body. She licked her lips slowly, eyes gleaming like someone staring down the most delicious thing she'd ever seen and trying not to devour it too fast.
She couldn't hold back anymore. She lifted the ornate glass brimming with deep red liquid and pushed it toward my mouth.
"Here♥ Drink up, quickly♥"
"Ugh… I don't want it…"
A soft sigh left her, almost regretful. "Can't be helped then♥"
She brought the glass to her own lips instead, filling her mouth until her cheeks hollowed slightly. Crimson drops spilled over her chin and slid down the pale skin of her throat, disappearing into the valley between her breasts. The sight made her look even more dangerously beautiful.
Please. Don't do this, Vespera. We're supposed to be family. You saved me. Why are you—
"Umpf…!"
The liquid hit my tongue—bitter and sharp like the strongest spirits, metallic and thick like blood, an awful, indescribable taste that made my stomach twist. She gripped my jaw, pried my mouth open, and forced the rest inside. Heat flared across my tongue and down my throat.
"Pah…♥ How do you like the Dragonblood Wine?"
I coughed hard, throat burning. "Kehk… cough, cough."
She let out that low, pleased hum again. "Does it suit your taste?"
Her tongue slid against mine immediately, sweet and warm, washing away the foulness with her own saliva. My vision started to spin, the edges of the room softening as if I'd drunk far more than a single mouthful.
She sealed her lips tighter, sucking hard, drawing every drop of moisture from my mouth like she wanted to drink me down completely. My tongue stretched long and slid helplessly into her. The moment it did, she smiled against me, slow and seductive.
This was the first time I'd ever truly been inside her mouth. It felt like sinking into warm honey—thick, impossibly sweet, addictive. I wanted more. I needed more.
Whether it was my own will or pure instinct, I gave in to the hazy fog and curled my tongue around hers, chasing that sweetness.
She liked that. I could feel it in the way her body pressed closer.
She shoved me back into the chair and climbed onto my lap in one smooth motion, thighs locking tight around my hips. Her fingers twisted into my hair, gripping hard and holding me exactly where she wanted me. Her tongue moved greedily, cheeks hollowing as she sucked and licked, the sight both crude and breathtaking.
Hot breath mingled between us.
"Pah…♥"
"Hngh…"
We stared at each other, chests heaving.
"Now, open wide again, Lirian♥"
The black wine bottle labeled Dragonblood Wine lifted into the air on its own, tilting to pour more of that crimson liquid into the glass.
I shook my head frantically. "Ah—"
Being fed like this felt like torture. I'd rather drink it myself if I had to.
The instant my hand shot out toward the glass—
"No♥"
A sharp little smack sounded as my fingers froze mid-air.
"I prefer the way we did it just now♥"
My hand drifted back down, pulled by her interlaced fingers.
I clamped my lips shut tight, the only defense I could manage.
She chuckled softly at my little rebellion and simply filled her mouth again with the wine.
One firm tug on my hair and my mouth opened wide despite me. The way it obeyed her so easily felt like my own body had betrayed me.
The alcohol buzz rolled through me fast and heavy. My mouth flooded with her saliva again, warm and sweet.
In my spinning vision she watched me with pure ecstasy in her golden eyes.
How could her mouth taste like this? No honey, no chocolate, nothing I'd ever had came close to this deep, rolling sweetness. I could have stayed there forever, just tasting her.
The pleasure was building too fast. I was already so close again. I was going to break.
Anxiety spiked and I tried to pull my tongue back just a little.
She blew a hot, scolding breath right into my mouth like she was warning me not to retreat. My head was yanked forward until our faces pressed together.
I don't want this. I'm scared.
I shook my head side to side, palms pushing weakly at her shoulders. The pleasure surging from deep inside me felt sharper than anything I'd ever known. I couldn't hold back the wave.
I looked up at her, eyes desperate.
She bit down lightly on my tongue and glared, fierce and unyielding.
It was like staring into an abyss. Like a diver facing the crushing dark of the deepest ocean. Prey locked in the gaze of a predator that had already decided I belonged to her.
My whole body seized. The orgasm slammed through me so hard my vision whited out. Every muscle went slack at once as hot, pulsing release flooded my robes, thick and uncontrollable.
"Pah… First release…♥" Her voice was thick with satisfaction.
My jaw hung open. My tongue lolled out uselessly, refusing to go back inside my mouth. My body had stopped listening to me completely.
"Lirian…♥ Are you trying to seduce me with that look again?"
A broken little sound slipped out of me.
"How vulgar…♥"
Another weak noise followed.
"Now, Lirian…♥ Let's head to the bedroom♥"
I couldn't fight as she scooped me up against her chest and carried me away. My head spun worse with every step, consciousness blurring at the edges.
—–
I laid Lirian down on the bed with all the care I could manage, then reached for the small box I had prepared. My hands trembled just a little as I opened it.
"Ta-da♥ It's a present for you, Lirian♥"
This was the choker I had ordered specially, paying a small fortune so the craftsmanship would last for years. The material was perfect—strong yet soft against the skin.
"Do you like the gift?"
My heart hammered against my ribs, cheeks burning hot. I wanted him to understand what this meant. I wanted him to see how much thought I had put into choosing something that would look so right on him.
But he only twitched on the sheets, face slack and tongue hanging out in that helpless, adorable way, making soft broken sounds like he didn't even know what he was doing to me.
I swallowed hard.
How could he make an expression like that… It was too dangerous. Too tempting.
Trying to seduce the Pope without even realizing it—how utterly shameless of my sweet boy.
I couldn't hold back any longer.
I pulled his limp body into my arms and crushed my mouth to his, kissing him hard and deep. The complete lack of resistance sent a dark thrill through me. There was something so perfect about how easily he let me take whatever I wanted.
"Pah…♥ …Oh?"
A few drops of my saliva fell onto his flushed face.
I felt a flicker of guilt. I had dirtied him again with my own mess. I should clean it off right away.
His pulse thumped under my fingers.
He was already getting stained.
My pure, snow-white Lirian.
Stained by my filthy, greedy desires.
I swallowed again, throat tight.
Yes. Only I can stain him. Only I in this entire world am allowed to corrupt him. No one else. Ever. Only me.
"Isn't that right…? Lirian…?"
My hands shook as I fastened the choker around his slender neck. The ache low in my belly made the simple task harder than it should have been, but I didn't care.
"Ta-da…♥"
It sat perfectly against the black of his clerical robes. A touch large, maybe, but I had chosen it with his style in mind, and the result was worth every second of thought.
It looked too good on him.
Too good.
So incredibly adorable I could barely breathe.
"Pah…♥"
His tongue still hung out, slick with our mixed saliva. His eyes had rolled back, unfocused, staring at nothing.
The night is still so long, Lirian.
I won't stop at kisses tonight.
Prepare yourself, my sweet boy. I have so much more planned for you.