The Only One Who Could Break Her

She was still lying on my chest, warm and satisfied, breathing in soft, sleepy rhythms that made my heart ache in the best way.

Morning sunlight filtered in through the curtains. Her hair was a mess, her lips still swollen from all the kissing—and biting. I could barely feel my legs, and I'm pretty sure I lost all sense of time sometime after the third—

She stirred.

"You're alive," she murmured.

"Barely."

She grinned, eyes still closed. "Good. Next time I'll aim for unconsciousness."

I groaned. "Please don't."

"Noted," she whispered, brushing her fingers down my chest. "No promises."

I didn't have the strength to argue. Not when she was tracing lazy, teasing circles on my stomach, humming a soft melody under her breath. It felt normal. Too normal. Like we weren't living in a supernatural powder keg.

"Stay," I whispered.

She paused. "I can't. I've got a council meeting."

I opened one eye. "Right. The actual queen business."

She kissed my chin. "Mmmhm. Someone has to make sure the demon realm doesn't implode."

"You mean someone besides you?" I smiled.

She leaned down and whispered into my ear, "You're sweet when you're tired."

Then she rolled off me, walked across the room with nothing but one of my shirts barely covering her, and summoned a portal with a flick of her fingers. Before stepping through, she turned back and smiled.

"Try not to miss me too much."

Then she was gone.

---

The silence after she left was oddly heavy. I stayed in bed for another twenty minutes before dragging myself into the shower and eventually making it downstairs—only to find the house wasn't exactly empty.

"Demetrius," I said, blinking.

"Sir," he replied with a stiff nod, standing at the kitchen counter, trying to chop something that definitely wasn't meant to be chopped like that.

"You cooking?"

"I was ordered to be a cook," Demetrius said grimly, standing at the stove like it personally offended him. "Not to be a good cook."

Fair point.

I stepped into the kitchen fully, rubbing the last traces of sleep from my eyes as a curl of smoke floated past me. Whatever was in the pan looked like it had been alive once… and died screaming.

"You sure that's edible?"

He prodded it with the spatula like it might fight back. "I've seen battlefield hexes that looked friendlier than this omelet."

I grabbed a bottle of water from the counter and leaned against it, watching the carnage unfold. "You know, for a demon bodyguard who can crush bone with his bare hands, you really suck at breakfast."

"I warned her," he said, flipping the omelet with a limp splat. "I told the Queen I wasn't built for culinary arts. She said I'd learn." He glared at the egg. "I'm not learning."

"She hired you as a cook, knowing this would happen?"

"She said, and I quote—'He'll be fine. It's just eggs.'" He paused. "You ever feel deeply disrespected by poultry?"

I laughed, nearly choking on my water.

He grinned, then glanced toward the ceiling — toward the bedroom. "She's still asleep?"

"She's still asleep?" Demetrius asked, eyeing the ceiling like he could see through it.

I shook my head and rinsed out my cup. "Council meeting. Left about an hour ago."

He nodded slowly, then muttered under his breath, "Poor bastards…"

I laughed softly and leaned against the counter. "Why? Because she might kill someone?"

Demetrius gave me a long look. "No. Because she might charm them instead." Then, quieter, "That's always worse."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just stood there a while, watching the eggs sizzle like they were being punished.

---

Later that evening…

The sun had dipped completely below the horizon by the time I heard the faint hum of magic rippling through the air.

I looked up from my textbook—and there she was.

A portal shimmered open and Lila stepped out into my room without a sound. She wore the same black and crimson ensemble she always did to meetings. Regal. Powerful.

Hot.

She closed the portal behind her and gave me a slow, crooked smile. "Studying?" she asked, strolling forward like a cat who already knew it owned the room.

"I was," I said, swallowing as she reached the edge of my bed.

She didn't say anything else. Just looked at me.

That look.

The I-wanna-fuck-you look.

I sat up straighter. "Lila—"

She was already crawling onto the bed before I could finish. She straddled me, her hands sliding up my chest as her eyes locked onto mine like magnets. "Mm. You smell like soap," she whispered. "And frustration."

"I'm… tired," I said honestly. "Like, actually. I don't even think it'll get—"

Her grin cut me off. Slow, sultry and dangerous.

> "I can help with that."

I blinked. "Wait, what do you—"

Then her eyes glowed faintly. Not the usual fire. Something subtler. Deeper. She wasn't touching me anywhere that would do it, and yet my body reacted.

Hard.

I gasped. My entire body shuddered.

"What the hell—Lila, what are you—" My voice cracked as a wave of raw pleasure slammed into me. It wasn't just arousal. It was like she'd bypassed every part of my body and spoke directly to the desire in my soul.

She leaned in, voice breathy with delight. "Just a little magic. I thought I'd spice things up. Is it too much?"

"Yes," I choked. "I can't—Lila, I actually—can't—"

Her smirk faltered.

"Wait," she whispered, pulling back a little. "You're not joking?"

My hands clutched the sheets. I couldn't breathe right. My heart was hammering. I wanted her so badly it was hurting. My head was spinning like I was drowning in heat, and I wasn't okay.

"Lila—please—turn it off—"

The moment the words left my mouth, it all stopped.

I collapsed back against the pillows, my chest rising and falling like I'd just run a marathon. My arms were even trembling.

She stared down at me, frozen and her expression… changed from proud seductress to terrified girl in an instant.

"I—I only used a little," she said, voice cracking. "I swear, I didn't think it would feel like that—"

I looked up at her. Her eyes were wide. Glassy.

She was shaking. Not from power—but from fear.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," she whispered. "I was just… happy. And when I'm happy, I get a little carried away, and I wanted to make you feel good, I swear—"

"Lila," I said gently, forcing my hand up to her cheek. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not," she said quickly, eyes darting over me like she expected something to break. "You said please. You never say please unless you're scared or mad or—"

I pulled her down slowly, wrapping my arms around her as she crumpled into my chest.

"I didn't mean to," she whispered again, voice muffled. "I just… I don't know my limits with you. I keep pushing because I think you can handle it, and then when you can't, it hits me that you're… fragile."

I held her tighter. She was warm, still shaking a little.

"And you're a literal inferno in a beautiful body," I whispered. "Sometimes I forget how powerful you are."

She nodded slowly against me. "I'm sorry."

I kissed her forehead. "I know. It's okay."

> "…I love you so much it makes me stupid sometimes," she whispered.

I smiled. "Yeah. I've noticed."

She didn't move for a while then she shifted slightly and reached down between us.

I laughed weakly. "Still hard, huh?"

She looked at me with red eyes and wet lashes and shook her head. "No," she whispered. "Not tonight… Ca— can we just stay like this?"

Her voice was soft and sad.

I nodded. "Okay."

We didn't do anything else, jurled up against me like a kid, as I stroked her hair gently. She mumbled one last thing as she started to fall asleep.

> "…Didn't want to break you…"

And all I could think about was what Demetrius said:

You're the only one who could break her.

Funny how it worked both ways.

---

To be continued...