He dips one and then two fingers inside me, pumping them and slicing them, preparing me to take his cock. I’m glad he’s being considerate, but it builds a pressure within me I’ve never experienced before. It’s intense. He flicks his tongue over my clit, and I ignite in a powerful orgasm at his expertise, my first. I can’t stop it. I ride it as wave after wave of pleasure hits me with ecstasy.
When I come down, Jaxon shifts on the bed and positions himself at the entrance to my sex. I nod my head, and he surges into me in a controlled thrust. It burns—it hurts, but it’s bliss all at the same time. It’s the greatest feeling in the world, even better than my first kill earlier in the day. Maybe when the war is over, Jaxon and I can spend all day doing this instead. It will satisfy my constant need for something powerful and dark.
Jaxon settles inside me for a moment before pulling back. His lips meet mine, our eyes remaining open as we kiss passionately. We both needed this—the satisfaction of a kill followed by the passion of a forbidden romance. If Gaozu knew what was happening, we’d both be destroyed, but in this small house, we can be who we choose to be.
Another powerful orgasm burns its path from my core through my body. I shudder and scream Jaxon’s name as he buries himself deep inside me and washes my insides with his essence. I welcome every last drop—it marks me as his.
After what seems like a lifetime, he removes himself from me, and I wince at the slight sting.
“Are you all right?” Jaxon instantly asks.
“Yes, never better.” I stroke his face and kiss him again.
“This changes everything, doesn’t it?” he says what I’m thinking.
I nod in agreement. “But not our loyalty. I mean it, Jaxon. Whatever is happening between us, destiny, fate, whatever you want to call it, we still are Yi Shu and must defeat the Jīn Long. I’m not leaving until Wang is dead, and we can live in peace. I will bring honor to my family.”
Jaxon leans forward and kisses me. “And I’ll be right by your side when you do, Zhàn or Lia, I adore you both.” He strokes his hand down my cheek. “We’ll finish this together.”
I stare down at the bloody and deformed body of my favorite general that’s been placed in front of me. A severed hand is lying beside it, but there’s no head. I know that will have been taken to Gaozu—a prize to showoff to all who support him.
The anger builds inside me, and I allow it to erupt in a torrent of blows rained down on the men who brought me the body. I’m furious. This man was not only loyal to me but a close friend. He would have ruled beside me when we came to power. Now I’ll be mourning his death when I should be rejoicing another blow to the Yi Shu. There’ll be hell to pay for this when I find out who killed him. Retribution will not be swift. It will be traumatic and torturous.
Everyone around me reels back when my general’s family are brought in. I watch in deathly silence as they fall to the floor and weep for the loss of the man they loved and worshiped. With my nostrils flared and my fists clenched, I let out another tirade of abuse directed at the nearest person to me.
“Who did this? How did they find out we were even going to be there?” One of my guards drops to his knees and bows before me.
“We’re not sure, gracious leader. We’re considering all possibilities at the moment. Taking stock of any men or families that have recently disappeared.” He bows up and down, his arms outstretched as he worships me.
I growl at his incompetence, though. He shouldn’t be searching for the answers—we should instantly have them at our disposal. I kick him hard out of the way and walk forward to one of the men who brought my general’s body back. He’s covered in blood and not just my general’s but also his own and others’.
“Who did it?” I fume.
“The general was fighting with the blond demon.”
“Jaxon,” I curse his name and withdraw my sword from its scabbard.
The man in front of me jumps back as I launch the weapon at the wall to my left. People duck out of the way as it flies through the air and embeds with a thud. “Please tell me that we killed him, at least.”
The room falls silent apart from the weeping of the general’s family.
“Get them the fuck out of here,” I shout.
I don’t need to hear their grief. I’m too full of rage for it. Several of my guards jump forward and pull the broken family away from the general’s body and escort them from the room. They cry and scream the entire way. If they don’t shut up soon, I won’t honor my general’s loyalty. I’ll slice my sword across their throats to silence them.
Stomping loudly across the throne room floor, I prowl like a tightly wound up spring ready to uncoil. It won’t be pretty. It’ll be horrible when I do. Every one can count on that.
“We did capture someone,” one of the men who brought the body dares to step forward and address me.
He instantly falls to his knees when I glare at him.
“Where is he?” I go over to the man and lift him up, clean off his feet, so he can tell me.
“Outside,” the man whimpers.
I drop him to the floor like he weighs nothing, even though he’s a bulky soldier.
“Well, get him in here.”
I turn back to my throne, an ornate golden structure dominating most of the room. It’s engraved with my name, my motto, and my face. It represents my prowess as a leader. Sitting regally down on it, I wait for the captive to be brought in.
The doors open, and a man is dragged in, He looks young but has the muscular physique of a soldier. He would have been a worthy fighter for the Yi Shu, but he’s as pale as a white flag. A new recruit, no doubt. He’ll know very little of his leader’s plans, and I inwardly curse.
“Bring him forward,” I beckon with a finger. “Who is he?” I question.
One of my guards steps forward and throws the man to my feet. I can smell the stench of fear on him, piss and shit. I was mistaken—he’s a wimp not a soldier.
“His name is Kuo, gracious leader. He was acting as a lookout, apparently. He didn’t join the battle, though. We found him hiding on our way out.”
I laugh. How does the Yi Shu think they will ever beat me with idiots like this man? I’m sure he was all show in training, but in the heat of a real battle, he hid like a coward with his tail between his legs.
“Kuo.” I stare him down. He can’t even look at me and avoids eye contact by staring at the floor. “Hold his head still,” I order.
Sliding from my throne, I command the attention of the entire room as I step down from my regal platform to stand in front of the man. He’s lifted to his feet and held in place with his head unable to move, and his eyes wedged open by dirty fingers to look at me.
“You hid and watched the battle?” I question, but he doesn’t answer me. “I’m talking to you. Answer me.” I shout.
“I did,” the man cries, tears filling his eyes. “Please, I didn’t want to join their army. I was forced to. I don’t like being with the Yi Shu. Let me join you.”
“And why would I let you do that?” I rub my chin and cock my head at him.
“I-I saw it, the general’s death. It was unfair. It wasn’t right. Two men against one.”