Venom Before Tea

Content Warning: This chapter contains graphic sexual content, mature power dynamics, and adult themes. Intended for adult audiences. Reader discretion is advised.

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Alaric woke up to a mouth around his cock. Heat shot down his spine before his brain caught up. The wet heat was so intense it blurred the line between dream and reality. He gasped, his body arching.

Her tongue moved deliberately, getting him hard with a rhythm that felt possessive. Her hair was loose and wild, tickling his thighs, strands sticking to his sweaty skin.

Her perfume was faint but unmistakable, mixed with something sweeter now.

He reached down, fingers touching her cheek, and felt her smirk against his skin. With his other hand, he fumbled for the nightstand, knocking over a small dish before finding the cool glass vial.

He uncorked it with his thumb and drank it down, grimacing as her mouth went lower. A stamina tonic. They'd been up most of the night dealing with the break-in at the archives.

"Finally awake?" Evelyne said, voice low and amused.

She didn't stop. She took him deeper, one hand bracing his hip, the other pressing on his stomach, keeping him pinned.

He twitched helplessly as she pulled him apart with just her mouth.

She released him with a final kiss and rose slowly. Her bare skin slid up his body, warm and flushed.

She straddled him without ceremony, breasts brushing his chest as she settled over him. Her formal gown lay in a heap by the fireplace, marking the path she'd taken to claim him before dawn.

"Morning," she said. "You're late." She didn't wait for permission. Her hips rolled down, slow and deliberate.

His hands caught her waist by instinct, and this time, she let them. Her breath hitched, not from irritation, but pleasure.

"Good," she murmured against his ear. "Hold on tight. I want to feel it when you lose control."

She moved like she owned him, because right then, she did. Alaric groaned as she settled over him fully, her pace brutal from the start.

Her nails scratched down his chest, her breathing already ragged.

"You were dreaming about her, weren't you?" she panted, rolling her hips harder. "Tell me it wasn't me."

Alaric gritted his teeth. "Don't start."

"Then don't lie to me while you're inside me," she hissed, slamming down harder. "Just fuck me like you mean it."

She moved relentless and loud, candlelight flickering across the ceiling. He gripped the sheets, trying to stay grounded as she rode him into the mattress.

When she came, she didn't slow. She kept going until he finished too, gasping beneath her.

But she wasn't finished.

She rolled off him, chest rising and falling hard, then leaned down and brushed her lips along his jaw. "Still breathing?"

Alaric managed a grunt, but his fingers dug into the sheets.

She laughed low in her throat. "Good. Then you're not done."

With slow intent, she pushed him down again and straddled him, this time grinding against him with obvious precision. Her nails bit into his shoulders.

"You know what I love about this?" she murmured, breath warm against his skin. Her tongue traced his ear, followed by a bite that made him jolt.

"Even when you're trying to forget her, you're still thinking about me."

Alaric's hands clutched her hips, his breath catching as she began to ride him again, slower, crueler, every movement deliberate.

"Say it," she ordered, voice like velvet over steel.

"You're in control," he gasped.

"Louder."

"You're in control," he growled, voice breaking as her pace quickened.

When she finally let him finish, it was a shuddering, broken thing, his body trembling beneath her, his jaw slack, his hands falling away.

She leaned over him, breathless but smiling. "That's better."

Alaric's hand shot out, grabbing Evelyne by the hips and flipping her onto her back in one sudden, rough move. She gasped, startled, and pleased.

He pinned her wrists above her head, teeth grazing her throat.

"You want me to prove it?" he growled.

Her smirk widened. "Finally."

He drove into her with brutal rhythm, making her gasp, then curse, then moan his name like a challenge. She arched under him, nails dragging down his back, legs locking around his waist.

Evelyne came hard, clawing at him, and as she came down from the high, she pulled him into a kiss, biting, breathless, claiming. He didn't stop until she was shaking beneath him, hair stuck to her flushed skin, breath coming in ragged bursts.

"Again," she whispered, voice raw.

He kept going until her nails drew blood and his voice broke in her name.

Only then did she finally rise, skin flushed, satisfaction curling in her smile.

They lay side by side for a moment. Not touching. Not speaking. Sweat cooled on their skin, the scent of iron and spent passion heavy in the air.

Then Evelyne sat up and started dressing without looking at him.

"You're quiet," she said casually, slipping her chemise back on. "Did I break you again?"

Alaric slowly sat up, dragging a hand through his hair. "I'm fine."

"You say that," she replied, fastening her bodice. "But you look like hell."

He dressed in silence. The room reeked of sweat and power.

"I had a thought," Evelyne said as she tightened her corset. "About last night's break-in."

Alaric's jaw tightened.

"Too clean. Too professional. Someone was looking for leverage."

"Caelan," Alaric said darkly. "Or one of his cronies. They've been sniffing around, looking for dirt to use in negotiations."

Evelyne stepped behind him, her fingers brushing lint from his shoulders. "Or another noble house. Everyone wants something to hold over us during alliance talks."

"Whoever it was knew our ward patterns," Alaric said. "That takes inside knowledge."

"Which means we have a problem." Evelyne's voice turned thoughtful. "And speaking of problems, have you noticed how Seraphina's been emboldened since Caelan started hovering around her?"

Alaric turned to face her. "What about her?"

"She's gotten bolder. Like she thinks she has actual power." Evelyne stepped into her slippers, adjusting the strap slowly. "The timing bothers me."

Alaric's mouth tightened. "You think he's filling her head with ideas?"

"I think he's been giving her confidence. Always sniffing around like some half-tamed hound." Evelyne's eyes narrowed. "And now with this break-in... what if he's not just emboldening her? What if he's giving her information?"

"You're not jealous of him, are you?" she asked, almost amused.

Alaric's shoulders went rigid. His hands clenched once, then released, a tell she'd learned to read years ago. "She's still mine."

The words came out rougher than intended, possessive in a way that made something dark flicker behind his eyes.

Evelyne turned fully now, eyebrow raised. "Are you sure about that?"

He rolled his shoulders once, spine straightening as if he were about to walk into battle. "She belongs to me."

Her smile was razor-sharp. "There's my charming bastard."

Neither of them heard the soft shift of a servant's passage door nor noticed the figure tucked in the alcove behind the tapestries. Not a maid. Not a stray listener.

Someone sent. The spy's breath didn't even fog the cold stone as they memorized every word, every moan, every plan. Some secrets were worth more than gold, and House Vessant's enemies would pay handsomely for this particular performance.

Evelyne crossed the room and kissed Alaric once more, sharp and claiming.

"There's a gathering this afternoon in the rose garden," she said, reaching for her gloves. "I assume you've heard?"

Alaric gave a noncommittal grunt. "Your doing?"

"Of course. Intimate, handpicked, loaded with people who matter, and one or two who think they do."

She turned to face him, lips curling. "I'm letting Cordelia claw her way back into relevance. All I have to do is open the cage."

He raised an eyebrow. "Cordelia?"

"She's been lurking around the estate for weeks, desperate to be seen with you again." Evelyne's voice dripped with false sympathy. "Poor thing still thinks she has a chance."

Alaric gave her a skeptical look. "And you think she'll do your dirty work for free?"

"She resents Seraphina enough to make it look organic. All she needs is the right nudge and a public stage." Evelyne looked satisfied. "They've started calling Seraphina the Flame Duchess. Isn't that charming? Let's see how she handles Cordelia gushing about your time together. Loudly. In public."

His posture shifted, tension coiling in his shoulders. "She'll perform."

"Like clockwork." Evelyne turned back once, lips curling. "And if Caelan's been whispering in her ear, that's fine. Let's see how well she handles being paraded beside the woman Alaric used to fuck."

That brought a ripple of darkness across Alaric's features. "Perfect. Let her see what happens when she forgets her place."

"The tea party isn't a gathering. It's a loaded crossbow, and Seraphina's the target."

She opened the door but paused, her expression turning knife-sharp. "I'm going to see Seraphina now. She likes to pretend she has teeth. Let's see how she handles venom."

Her knuckles tapped once on the frame. Then she was gone.

House Vessant wanted her pliable. Obedient. Easier to own. But Evelyne wasn't going to wait for her to break. She'd start carving now.