His hands left my waist to tangle in my hair. His breathing was erratic, unhinged, and I smiled at being the cause of seeing him so unkempt.
I reached further into his pants to cup his balls, testing the weight with my hand before giving it a light squeeze. He hissed, eyes flashing with heat, before he tilted his head back with a groan.
I licked the tip slowly, using my saliva and his own cum as lubricant. His labored breathing reached my ears, eliciting my own goosebumps of desire. There was something immensely attractive, sexy, desirable, about knowing you were the one tearing a man apart. Making him succumb to desire.
I used one hand to lift his thick girth as I licked the salty underside. His cock twitched with each lick, suck, and kiss. My other hand continued to fondle his balls.
"Please," he whispered breathily. I wrapped my mouth around his length, taking him in as far as I could. The tip of his cock touched the back of my throat, but I knew I could take him even further.
"Fuck!" he screamed. He grabbed at my hair and began to fuck my mouth in earnest. I allowed him to, staying still, as his cock entered and exited me erratically. When my hand squeezed his balls tightly, he exploded. He tried to pull away, but I held him in place, swallowing everything he had to offer. His body shook as he released his seed inside my mouth.
Finally, I pulled away, smiling in satisfaction. Dair's eyes were dazed, hooded with desire, as they rested on my face. That desire and lust turned into something else, something that caused my breath to leave me in a swooping exhale.
Because the expression on his face looked an awful lot like love.
Love.
For me.
As he continued staring at me, I ducked back into my room, grabbed a washcloth, and returned. His dopey expression didn't leave as I cleaned him up and gently placed his half-erect cock back into his pants.
"Z..." he whispered hoarsely, and I just knew what confession would leave his lips.
"We need to get to the ball," I cut off, staring everywhere but at him. I managed a humorless laugh. "I am the guest of honor, after all."
"Z." This was said with a heavy, resigned sigh.
Ignoring it, I grabbed his chair handles and pushed it down the hall.
We passed a few elegantly dressed Nightmares, all of which stuck up their noses when they caught sight of me. A human. With the crowned prince of Mermaids.
The chair-bound crowned prince of Mermaids.
We reached the large, ornately carved wooden doors that would lead to the ballroom. From the other side, I heard music playing and people chatting with one another.
I stepped away from Dair to open up the door, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back.
His eyes were somehow able to see through every flaw I had, every mistake I had ever made, every layer of doubt and self-loathing. I felt stripped bare beneath his penetrating gaze. Naked and vulnerable.
"Z, I love you," he whispered. Before I could reply, the ballroom doors were thrown open to reveal the Shifter King smiling down at me.
"Z!" he said jovially. "We've been waiting for you."
FOURTEEN
Z
The Shifter King leaned over, taking my hand in his large paw. With a cant of his head, he pressed his lips to my knuckles.
"We're happy you could join us," he said, smiling. I didn't trust that smile for a damn minute. This was the same man who avidly supported human work camps and stricter laws for human disobedience. He was evil personified; no amount of smiles could curb the malicious glint in his eyes.
"I didn't know I had a choice," I said lightly, feigning a laugh. His own smile thinned, eyes darkening. He pulled his attention off of me to face Dair. He extended a hand, and my Mermaid mate shook it. With great reluctance, I noted somewhat amusedly.
"Dair! How are you faring today?" he asked. I wished I could see Dair's face, articulate his emotions through his facial features. Instead, I placed my hands on his shoulders, unsurprised to feel them stiff.
"I'm doing good, your majesty."
Awkward silence descended. The Shifter King remained standing in the doorway, a glass of what looked like wine in his hand. Behind him, I could see a sea of color as people twirled, danced, and chatted. Each of the ladies was bedecked in a dress that put mine to shame. For the first time that evening, self-consciousness crippled me.
I fucking hated that feeling. The feeling that no matter what you did, you would never be good enough. Was that normal? Did females normally feel like that?
Huffing, I smoothed my hands down the silk skirt. I prayed that my hair wasn't still mussed from my rendezvous with Dair a few minutes earlier.
Or that the evidence of my arousal wasn't particularly pungent with all the enhanced senses around me.
"If you don't mind, your highness, I really should get to the party," I said. The Shifter King's eyes widened in surprise, but I couldn't decide if it was shock that I had somewhat spoken back to him or realization that he was blocking the doorway. Either way, his lips curved up cruelly, and he stepped aside with an elaborate, sardonic wave of his hands.
"By all means..." he said curtly. I prepared to wheel Dair in, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me.
"There are stairs here, dear." He said dear as if it was a curse word, not an endearment. Unease prickled beneath my skin, but I kept my smile pleasant. "Dair is going to have to enter through the side entrance."
"Then I'll go with him," I said resolutely, already turning his chair around. Dair's hands were white where they gripped the seat handles, but he didn't interrupt our conversation. Trusting me. Allowing me to take the lead in this fucked up game with a fucked up king.
Said King chuckled darkly.
"But
