Chapter 35: A New Dawn at Malika's

Shalini woke to the faintest blue light creeping through the gauzy curtains of Malika's guest room. The air was thick with the mingled scents of last night's whiskey, candle wax, and something far more carnal that still clung to her skin. She stretched slowly, her body sore but languid, her mind teetering between a hazy afterglow and a spike of guilt that shot through her like a live wire.

The sheets rustled beside her, and Ayu stirred. His sleepy brown eyes met hers, still full of that same worship from the night before. Shalini's breath caught. For a moment, she almost forgot the chaos waiting beyond these walls.

Ayu leaned forward and pressed a delicate kiss to her shoulder, soft and reverent, as if still asking permission.

"Good morning, ma'am," he whispered, voice raw.

Shalini flushed, remembering the way he had cleaned her, kissed her, worshipped her so wholly she'd nearly lost herself. Shame and delight fought for space inside her ribcage.

Malika appeared in the doorway, carrying a steaming cup of masala chai. Her grin was sly and wide, one eyebrow raised. "Rise and shine, goddess," she teased, placing the cup on the nightstand. "Or should I say, newly anointed queen?"

Shalini pulled the sheet a little higher, cheeks hot. "Malika, don't—"

But Malika only laughed, waving away her protest. "No need to hide it. You crossed the line, Shalu. You let yourself have what you've been starving for. And I am proud of you."

Shalini swallowed, eyes darting to Ayu, who still lay quietly, soaking in every word with the wide-eyed loyalty of a devotee.

Malika moved closer, brushing a strand of hair from Shalini's face. "Stay the day with me," she urged. "Let Ayu spoil you a little more. There is no rush."

Shalini hesitated, but her body practically screamed for another taste of that sweet worship. Avi was at home, but she'd already sent him a message the night before, telling him she was tending to a friend in labor. He wouldn't expect her back until evening.

"Just… for a few hours," she relented, voice trembling.

Malika's grin turned positively predatory. "Perfect."

---

Ayu moved from the bed to kneel on the plush carpet at her feet. There was something almost heartbreaking in the way he looked up at her — like she was a goddess descended from a forgotten temple, worth every breath he took.

"Ma'am," he said softly, "may I serve you again?"

Her heart slammed painfully in her chest. The words, so humiliating and delicious, made a surge of forbidden heat rush between her thighs.

Shalini nodded, unable to find her voice.

With a quiet reverence, Ayu lowered his head and began to press tiny, reverent kisses against her ankle, then up along her calf. His hands were featherlight as they traced the curve of her legs, pausing to squeeze gently, worshipfully.

Shalini tilted her head back, letting out a tiny, shocked gasp when his tongue darted out, wet and warm against the inside of her knee.

"Ayu," she breathed, her hands fisting the sheets.

He paused, waiting, as if even the smallest denial would send him scuttling away. When she didn't stop him, he grew bolder. His kisses turned hungrier, traveling up to her thighs, tasting every salty remnant of last night's sins.

Malika settled in a nearby armchair, crossing her legs with a catlike smile. "Take it slow, Ayu," she coached. "Let her feel every second."

Shalini moaned, the sound strangled and shameful, as Ayu gently spread her knees wider, kissing deeper, almost as if to reclaim her all over again. His tongue worked with soft, painstaking care, lapping and teasing, sending quivers up her spine until she was shaking, clutching the pillow to her chest to muffle her cries.

Every swipe of his tongue felt like forgiveness, like worship, like a prayer.

And when he finally pulled back, breathing heavily, Shalini could barely stand to look him in the eye, overwhelmed by how naked, how completely vulnerable she felt.

Malika leaned forward, taking her hand. "You see?" she purred. "You deserve this. To be adored, to be served. To have your pleasure put first."

Shalini nodded weakly, tears burning at the corners of her eyes, torn between the wrongness and the impossible rightness of it.

Malika stood, stretching with slow, feline grace. "Now, rest for a while," she commanded playfully, a teasing glint in her eyes. "We have the entire afternoon ahead of us."

Then her voice dropped to a wicked hush, sending a thrill through the room.

"And, Shalu," she added, lips curving into a sly smile, "I've invited another guest — someone who would love to meet you."

Shalini's stomach flipped. Another guest? The scandal of it made her clench around a flood of panic and arousal all at once.

Malika kissed her forehead. "Don't worry. You'll be ready. Ayu will keep you relaxed, won't you, dear?"

Ayu nodded eagerly, hands still cradling Shalini's thighs as if they were a priceless relic.

Shalini leaned back, letting her head rest against the carved headboard, and tried to catch her breath. The day was only beginning, and already she felt her entire world slipping further away from what she had once called normal.

Maybe that was what she wanted.

Maybe this was who she truly was now — a goddess, a queen, a woman finally letting herself be worshipped without apology.

And as Ayu leaned down again to press one more delicate kiss to her trembling skin, Shalini closed her eyes and surrendered to it.

Ayu's lips hovered a breath away from Shalini's slick heat, and she could feel the tremor in his hands as he steadied her thighs. The scent of whiskey and musk clung to the air, mingling with something darker, deeper — the ripe ache of her own need.

"Ma'am," he whispered again, voice cracking with reverence, "please…"

Shalini could barely manage a nod before a ragged gasp tore from her lips, her back arching as his tongue finally, finally tasted her again.

"Ah—Ayu…"

It was more a whimper than a word, and it made Ayu pause to look up at her, cheeks flushed, eyes wide, lips already glistening with her. He was trembling — hungry, starved — and Shalini felt a strange pulse of power at how completely she could unravel him.

Malika stood just behind, arms folded, watching like a proud mistress, her grin slow and dangerous. "Let her sing for you, Ayu," she encouraged, voice as smooth as honey. "Make her moan."

Ayu obeyed instantly, diving in with more confidence, his tongue gliding through her folds with worshipful, deliberate strokes. Shalini's head fell back against the pillows, a low cry tearing out of her throat.

"A-Ayu, ohhh—"

He circled her sensitive nub, again and again, teasing until her hips began to rock helplessly against his face. Every swirl of his tongue sent another moan rippling from her lips, shaky, high-pitched, desperate.

"Mmm…haah…God…"

The room seemed to spin around her. Nothing mattered except the heat of his mouth, the greedy suckling at her core, the wet, obscene noises that filled the air along with her stuttering cries.

"Ayu—ah! There…right there—"

He latched on like he'd been waiting his whole life for this single moment, lapping, flicking, his fingers gently kneading the backs of her thighs as if she might vanish if he let go. Her legs clamped around his shoulders, toes curling, body shuddering as wave after wave of hot pleasure rolled through her.

Malika laughed softly, leaning closer, stroking Shalini's hair. "That's it, Shalu. Let him taste how good you are."

Shalini could barely hear, lost in the haze of her own moans. She tried to cover her mouth, ashamed, but Malika gently pulled her hand away.

"No," Malika ordered firmly. "Let him hear you. Let me hear you."

Shalini broke, tears leaking from her eyes, voice dissolving into choked cries.

"Haaa…Ayu…so good…God…"

Ayu whimpered against her, the vibrations shooting a jolt of white-hot pleasure through her belly. Her hands found his hair, tugging, guiding him, grounding herself in the thick rush of sensation.

And then, impossibly, his tongue went deeper, finding every trembling edge, cleaning her as if he could drink her whole.

"Ahhh—! Ayu…Ayu…!"

Her thighs squeezed his head tighter, the sheet tangled around her knees, her voice breaking on each frantic, delirious moan.

Malika's low chuckle wove through it all. "Perfect," she praised. "He knows how to treat a queen."

Shalini's climax hit her like a crashing wave, splitting her apart, and she almost sobbed with the force of it, clutching Ayu's hair for dear life as his lips and tongue held her steady, drinking her down like sacred nectar.

When the tremors faded, she slumped back, chest heaving, sweat clinging to her skin. Ayu slowly lifted his face, breathing ragged, cheeks flushed, his chin glistening with her.

"Thank you, ma'am," he rasped, voice shaking.

Shalini reached for him, stroking his cheek, weak but radiant. "Good boy," she whispered hoarsely, still half lost in the stars.

Malika's eyes gleamed in the candlelight. "You see, Shalu? There is no shame in letting them worship you."

Shalini tried to speak but could only manage another breathless moan, still feeling tiny aftershocks pulsing through her core.

Malika grinned, then leaned in to press a soft kiss against Shalini's temple.

"Rest for a while," she whispered, her breath warm against Shalini's skin. "There is so much more waiting for you in just a few hours."

Shalini let her head fall back, eyes fluttering closed, her pulse still wild and unsteady.

She was so far past the point of no return now, she realized. So far into the sweet, sinful darkness that the very thought of going home seemed almost laughable.

And as Ayu curled up beside her, one arm protectively around her waist, Shalini let herself sink into a dangerous, trembling peace, every moan still echoing through her body like a forbidden hymn.

Shalini lay there, Ayu's warm breath steady against her belly, one of his arms still draped across her hips as though claiming her. Slowly, she let her fingers wander through the soft strands of his hair, gently scratching at his scalp, feeling his content sighs against her skin. It felt almost tender, dangerously intimate, and a strange ache settled in her chest.

Look what I've become, she thought, the candlelight dancing across the sheen of sweat still cooling on her flushed skin. Look what I've allowed.

Her mind drifted — back to Ravi, whose trembling lips had worshipped her feet as though she were a goddess… Prayush, whose eyes had burned with such raw, hungry devotion whenever she teased him… and then Avi, her own boy, who had trusted her, who had no idea of these nights of sin, who still saw her as the gentle, perfect mother she'd once tried to be.

Her heart twisted for a moment, shame and dark excitement tangling so tightly she could barely breathe. She traced a lazy circle on Ayu's scalp, letting him nuzzle closer, feeling the powerful pulse between her legs even now, still echoing the sweet ruin he'd given her.

It started so small, she thought, dazed, a blouse a little too tight, a playful look… then a stolen touch… now this.

Part of her was terrified of how easily she had stepped across each line, one after the other, until her old self felt like a stranger. But the other part — the part Malika had coaxed awake — felt alive, burning, free.

She exhaled shakily, letting the thought settle.

Yes, she was someone new now. Someone who wanted worship, who would let herself be adored and devoured, who could feel powerful and shameless in a young man's arms.

And as Ayu shifted, planting a soft, drowsy kiss on the inside of her thigh before drifting to sleep, Shalini realized with a quiet, wicked clarity:

I don't want to go back.

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End of Arc 1 : The Awakening of Shalini — From Bound Wife to Secret Goddess