Desire under a lightless flame...

Note: This chapter contains adult themes and content; if you are uncomfortable, you can skip the chapter.

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"Not at all, Princess."

Before Rena could even register his response, he had suddenly appeared behind her.

His towering height easily enveloped her, his body shielding any exposed facet of her naked form from the silent air of the Cathedral.

His muscular physique pressed against her toned form, offering an intoxicating contrast of strength and temptation. Before she could fully process how he had moved so fast—or how his clothes had simply vanished as she felt the heat radiate off his flesh, sinking into her skin.

Leaving her to truly feel the powerful muscle of flesh that had pressed itself flush against her toned curves.

A heat that pulled her deeper into the awakening desire consuming her.

Her breathing quickened—and an unfamiliar itch stirred deep within.

The dim cathedral light made it difficult to see, but the glowing scripts etched onto her luminiscent grey skin provided all the light Romeon ever needed. His calloused hands traced over the luminous markings, caressing the supple curves of her body. His fingers moved in slow, reverent circles across her abs and chest in quiet contemplative worship.

And in that moment, Rena had never felt more beautiful.

No matter how many words had been used to tell her just how divine she was before. Nothing could compare to the worship of the man whose heat had stirred her desire.

Under the grosteque stares of the abominatiosn above.

Beneath the silent screams of the dammed, writhing in chains as they longed for death's mercy. Despair carved into every twitch, every useless movement, and every labored breath.

She had never felt a greater need to be ravaged.

Ahhh~

A breathy moan escaped her lips before she could stop it. Romeon, seemingly dissatisfied with the way her thoughts wondered to useless things, responded in retaliation.

He seized her tender nipples between his large fingers, squeezing with an unyielding strength.

A gasp tore from her throat—not from pain, but from something far more thrilling. 

Unghhh~

"Where are your thoughts, Princess?"

His voice was deep, rumbling like a beast lurking in the dark, sending a pulse of heat through her veins.

"Am I not to your liking?"

He twisted both nipples, forcing her to arch into him. 

She could feel the sheer size of his length pressing against her, rigid and thick, nestled against her curves. Her legs trembled.

Her breath hitched as she was left momentarily breathless from the realization of what would soon enter her.

But she was defiant.

She would not submit to a man so easily, even when just this contact had left her knees weak.

Even as his hands claimed her, even as her body burned with need, her nipples swollen with an itch only his hands could scratch, she moved.

With fluid grace, she stepped onto the crucible, dragging him along with her.

And the world went silent, as if they had crossed into another dimension altogether.

Her blue-grey eyes flashed as her desire reached a peak, and before she knew it, Romeon, who had moments ago been in control, was now on his back, sprawled across the crucible floor.

Straddling his hips, she sat atop his groin, purposefully ignoring the heavy presence of his arousal pressing against her ass.

For the first time, she could see his face clearly, even in the dim light.

Romeon was strikingly handsome, his body sculpted from raw muscle—more than enough to overwhelm the observers.

Yet he was not overly large; his form was lean, his muscles dense. each fiber defined with precision.

He was a warrior in every sense of the word.

Although Rena herself could be considered a tall woman. Romeon was on a whole other level, dwarfing her completely. At seven feet, he towered over her, a rarity among the Clayborn races she had encountered, thats if there was no underlying lineage in the mix.

Preharps, thats why she was here.

A man like this could not be a mere Clayborn.

Perhaps that's why her father had chosen him as her husband.

But what truly captured her attention were his eyes—glazed gold, flashing like a brewing storm. Hunger lay beneath the surface, waiting to consume her whole.

And she trembled in excitement.

Who wouldn't want a man capable of fulfilling their deepest desires?

And judging from his size, she was in for the time of her life.

But first, there were rituals to complete.

This was not just about lust. Not yet at least.

Romean watched as Rena's lips curled into a dangerous smile—a smile that sent a shiver straight to his throbbing arousal. His cock pulsed with anticipation, already slick with precum.

Oh, how he longed to the fuck the arrogance out of her.

To show her that her only rightful place was on her knees, taking him whole.

But even he knew there were rules to follow.

He had yet to undergo his awakening.

If he lost himself to lust now, he would be wasting the very chance her father had given him.

...Though, judging by how quickly he had hardened at the sight of her body, he wasn't sure just how much longer he could hope to restrain himself.

Without even realizing it, he had discarded his own clothes in a silent declaration of possession.

But when the awakening completed?

When he was no longer bound by the ritual?

She would know just how quick heaven could be reached—and lost.

For now, however, his hands moved with measured control, gripping the soft curves of her ass while his lust burned beneath the surface, waiting.

Then something shifted.

Rena's eyes—once a mesmerizing blue-grey began to change.

The color drained away, replaced by a lifless, endless grey that swallowed her irises, pupils, and sclera alike.

The crucible hummed and vibrated as the air felt charged with a certain tension, as if the gates of some far place were being pryed open.

It was not a look that belonged to those born as Clayborn. An unusual sight indeed.

Yet, it did not diminish her beauty.

No, it enhanced it.

Romeon clenched his jaw, unable to stop his fingers from sliding between her folds, craving the warmth that pulsed within.

The feeling of moist softness was like gliding on clouds at sunset.

Her body trembled against.

Yet her expression remained eerily unreadable.

And then she began to chant.

As if she could not feel the way his large hands were prying her open.

As if she could not feel the fire he had just lit inside her.

Romeon smirked darkly.

How deep would he have to go before he could hear her moan his name?