Themis did not get her way, but what a wonderful way to be denied. He teased her, seemed to enjoy drawing every little noise from her as he brushed kisses against her throat. He took his time and dictated the pace of their joining. When he decided her squirming would cease, he pinned her with his weight, forcing the air from her lungs. The hands that clamped her hips came free, one caressing her face as if she were precious, the second tightened around her throat. It shouldn’t have been so exhilarating. She didn't think before pressing her teeth into the finger closest to her mouth; following the bite with kisses seemed natural to balance pain and pleasure. It seemed to trigger something in him, his tightly managed control snapping.
He was going to break her. She welcomed it.
Themis could only give. It was the starkest difference between her devotion to Samuel and the 'duty' she owed her now-dead husband. She'd learned quickly that the only power she had was the power to disassociate, to be nothing more than a body. Whatever joy her late husband celebrated when he burdened her, Themis did her best to ruin. Turning off, going away inside, was the only defense she had. For Samuel, she burned bright. There was no remaining decorum, no dignity she had that stood up to this moment. She was need, and craving, and pleasure; all his, all shattered.
Samuel's rebuke in her ear, his insistence that she couldn't understand what she needed rankled, but he wasn't wrong. Never in her life had she thought to ask for such a thing as a lover's bite. She'd never considered taking a lover; everything was out of sorts, but the answer remained the same. He may be the source of chaos, but he was also the source of joy, of adoration she refused to give its proper name. "I still want it." It was almost a whine as her fingers ran along his spine. He silenced her protests with a snap of his hips; all arguments were lost as he demanded her attention, Samuel crowding her senses. She would be embarrassed about her enthusiasm and would have felt shame at her behavior, but there was little conscious thought. She lacked the context and words for their actions and had never anticipated Samuel. Now, with the drugged pull of magic in her veins, she had little sense of control.
He pushed her over the edge of her restraint more than once, had her gasping and pouring a litany of encouragement in his ear. If he'd ever experienced doubt, she would do her best to banish it from his mind. Because how could she explain what she felt? How could she find words to justify the ache in her chest when he was gone? She began to think, to spin out into the 'what ifs,' but his body tensed, pressed into hers and she could only cling to him as they both shook against the weight of their actions. This had been different if only she knew why.
Reluctant to release him and suddenly terrified of the cooling room around him, she buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in. She held tightly to him, intent on keeping them together as long as physically possible. The concept of facing the world beyond Samuel's touch left her hollow. Savoring the last shivers of pleasure that rocked her, all she could do was look into his brilliant eyes and smile, the gesture bittersweet. He'd cautioned her in her devotion, but that wouldn't stop her from offering him her truth. "There is nothing I would deny you. I would give you the world, if I could."
He was going to break her. She welcomed it.
Themis could only give. It was the starkest difference between her devotion to Samuel and the 'duty' she owed her now-dead husband. She'd learned quickly that the only power she had was the power to disassociate, to be nothing more than a body. Whatever joy her late husband celebrated when he burdened her, Themis did her best to ruin. Turning off, going away inside, was the only defense she had. For Samuel, she burned bright. There was no remaining decorum, no dignity she had that stood up to this moment. She was need, and craving, and pleasure; all his, all shattered.
Samuel's rebuke in her ear, his insistence that she couldn't understand what she needed rankled, but he wasn't wrong. Never in her life had she thought to ask for such a thing as a lover's bite. She'd never considered taking a lover; everything was out of sorts, but the answer remained the same. He may be the source of chaos, but he was also the source of joy, of adoration she refused to give its proper name. "I still want it." It was almost a whine as her fingers ran along his spine. He silenced her protests with a snap of his hips; all arguments were lost as he demanded her attention, Samuel crowding her senses. She would be embarrassed about her enthusiasm and would have felt shame at her behavior, but there was little conscious thought. She lacked the context and words for their actions and had never anticipated Samuel. Now, with the drugged pull of magic in her veins, she had little sense of control.
He pushed her over the edge of her restraint more than once, had her gasping and pouring a litany of encouragement in his ear. If he'd ever experienced doubt, she would do her best to banish it from his mind. Because how could she explain what she felt? How could she find words to justify the ache in her chest when he was gone? She began to think, to spin out into the 'what ifs,' but his body tensed, pressed into hers and she could only cling to him as they both shook against the weight of their actions. This had been different if only she knew why.
Reluctant to release him and suddenly terrified of the cooling room around him, she buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in. She held tightly to him, intent on keeping them together as long as physically possible. The concept of facing the world beyond Samuel's touch left her hollow. Savoring the last shivers of pleasure that rocked her, all she could do was look into his brilliant eyes and smile, the gesture bittersweet. He'd cautioned her in her devotion, but that wouldn't stop her from offering him her truth. "There is nothing I would deny you. I would give you the world, if I could."
![[Image: Bka0H0x.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/Bka0H0x.jpeg)