The flagship had caught her off guard because she'd expected savages, and apparently it applied to their commander too. Aria had thought she'd find bloody weapons and hides, but instead the quarters looked eerily normal. Except for the trophy room, of course. That Ryden did have, like all the other generals.
Aria walked between shelves of strange weapons taken from different enemies and had to suppress a shiver when she saw the trophy beasts. The stuffed enemies were huge, each bigger than the next. All of them had a scar somewhere, marking the place where Ryden had stabbed them with his spear.
Aria couldn't believe half of those things existed, much less that someone could kill one. But if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that Brions never took credit for something they didn't do. Ryden would never display anything in his trophy room that he hadn't personally killed.
After the trophy room, there was one more room that Aria hadn't dared to explore yet. Mostly because she dreaded how it might affect her decision about Ryden. They still had a talk coming up, she would make sure of that, even if it—and he—terrified and excited her.
When the exhaustion finally started to catch up to her, Aria gathered her courage and slipped into the bedroom.
It was as grand and imposing as everything else in Ryden's chambers. A huge bed sat in the middle of the room, covered in red linens and edged with gold, like the Brion ceremonial armor. She reached out to touch it and found it to be surprisingly soft. In fact, it made her eyelids very heavy just through contact with her skin.
She would worry about her guilt later, Aria decided. In a way, Ryden was right. She'd done much already, hadn't she? It was okay that she got to sleep a bit as well.
Aria undressed, feeling weirdly vulnerable, even if she knew that Ryden would have killed anyone who dared to spy on his gesha. It was something about the huge room, she thought, that made her feel exposed. Or maybe it was the absence of Ryden.
Sighing, Aria slid into the bed between the sheets that flowed over her skin. It had to be some sort of a special material, because it seemed to change its temperature according to hers. Too tired to try and figure it out, Aria rested her head on the pillows.
That turned out to be a terrible idea. The pillows, the sheets—they smelled like him. Strong and masculine like Ryden himself. Before her pride caught up with her, Aria had pressed her face deeper into the fabric, breathing in his scent, a moan escaping her lips. Her head was instantly crowded by the memories of their fucking, of his powerful body pounding into her, making her come...
This is going great, Aria thought. One whiff of him and I forget all of my dignity. Literally, one whiff.
But as much as she tried to embarrass herself out of it, she couldn't help rubbing her nose against the pillows, bathing herself in his scent too. It brought a smile to her lips, one that refused to leave no matter what she did. Not even the war raging on Ilotra bothered her anymore. She was warm and safe and home.
Aria fell asleep before she had the chance to chastise herself for thinking that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Aria
She woke to a thunderous lack of sound.
On Ilotra, she'd gotten so used to background noise that she was noticing its absence. There were her fellow ambassadors, clerks, and attendants. In Ilotra's halls, there were always tons of people talking, arguing, laughing, and fighting. It was the way the moon worked.
And when war came to her home, the noise had only grown in volume. Aria had gotten used to that too. The explosions and clashes of blade against blade and shouting and screaming.#p#分页标题#e#
Now, nothing. She opened her eyes, frowning, hearing absolutely nothing. Oh sure, she thought she could hear a small engine nearby, possibly a bathroom heater, but no one was talking. She could hear her own deep breaths. It was completely uncanny. No wonder she woke up so abruptly.
Her situation came back to her along with Ryden's scent. Aria turned over to lie on her stomach, her nose pressed into the sheets, smiling against them.
It wasn't so bad, was it?
Exchanging your freedom for some excellent sex.
The thought rang less true than it had the day before. Maybe it had been the sleep she'd so desperately needed, but Aria no longer felt trapped like she had before. She didn't know much about Isolde Fenner, but she did know the woman had initially fought the bond too. But she had ultimately given in and was happy by all accounts. So maybe it was just something she had to get used to?
I can definitely get used to waking up in that bed, Aria thought.
Only instead of the lingering ghost of him, Ryden would be there in person, sleeping by her side. She moaned at the idea of being awoken by his strong arms pushing her legs wider apart for him, the general's fingers pressing into her wet pussy.
Aria whimpered into the pillow, pressing her own hand between her legs, shivering in excitement and anticipation. She'd been tense and afraid for so long, the only time she'd found any pleasure had been with Ryden and that had been transcendent. Right then in the complete peace and calm of the general's quarters, she worked herself open with her fingers, pushing them deeper inside.
The memory of Ryden taking her played before her eyes, more sensations and touches than what actually happened. Aria moaned, thinking that she had a sure way to make all of her fantasies come true. She imagined Ryden's wicked, skillful tongue on her pussy, licking her clit and rubbing herself against his sheets.
With one finger, Aria slowly circled her clit, already breathing heavily against the linens. She wished so badly for him to be there with her right then, but he would be soon. All she had to do was say yes and she could have it all.
Aria sobbed, feeling how wet she was only at the idea of being with Ryden again. She couldn't deny she wanted him so badly it hurt. He was, without a doubt, the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen, with his broad shoulders and washboard abs and that maddening smile that played on his lips just for her. And while he definitely wasn't a prince, who would even want one? Ryden was braver than any man she'd ever met, speaking his mind no matter the consequences, putting his life on the line to save her and Ilotra. Why would she say no to him?
Her own whine brought her back to the reality, to the urgency of her lust. She remembered how good his huge cock had felt inside her, stretching her wider than any man ever had before.
The thought was delicious and dirty and Aria wanted more. Ryden's cock had been the biggest she'd ever seen or tasted and all she could think of was how badly she needed it again. To feel it claim her pussy, push it open for the general with each long, ecstatic thrust that would send her to heaven like it had before.
She wanted to see how much of it she could fit in her mouth too, hear Ryden groan for her, feel the weight of him on her tongue. Above all else, to hear him in pleasure, to know she was the only one who could do that to him.
Her fingers were working faster and harder inside her. Aria's hips were moving in sync with them, grinding herself against the bed, imagining that her fingers were Ryden's cock, fucking her into his bed, just like that, as hard as he could. She needed him, needed all of his strength and even his roughness, needed him to claim her like she longed to be taken.
Aria's cries were muffled by the pillows, but she desperately hoped no one was listening in on her when the general's name slipped over her lips. Saying it was like calling to him, and it became a mantra for her. She gasped, pushing down faster on her fingers, biting her lip in pleasure. It wasn't nearly as good as when Ryden had really been with her, when he'd fucked her so hard she hadn't been able to breathe properly.
It didn't matter; she was too close already, too far into her fantasy of the general taking her again. She writhed on her fingers, trying to not be too loud, but failing miserably. The sheets were damp underneath her as her orgasm built and her cries turned incoherent.
She slipped the other hand into her panties, rubbing her clit while fucking herself with her fingers. Her ass was up in the air, and Aria could feel the blanket sliding over her skin. She imagined what an image she had to be, looking like an offering, with her legs spread wide and her fingers working her pussy open.#p#分页标题#e#
That was exactly what she was. Aria moaned, imagining Ryden watching her preparing herself for him, offering her body for him to take. She could practically see his green eyes burning with lust, hear his raspy breathing, see his firm chest rise and fall in desire.
She willed the dream general to get on the bed behind her, like that, take ahold of her hips and push himself inside in one firm stroke. She cried out, mimicking the motion with her fingers, feeling them brush against the spot inside her.
Aria's sobs echoed in the room as she kept up the brutal pace that she remembered, trying to match it, but hungering for more. The closer she got, the more she realized that she would never be able to replicate what Ryden did to her body. She wanted him, needed him to make her body sing again, make it twitch and shiver under his thrusts.
She cried out as she reached her climax, her entire body shaking from the released tension from head to toe. Aria stayed there, panting, trying to learn how to breathe again before she finally collapsed on the sheets, satisfied and happy.
Yeah, she thought. Saying no to Ryden will be a blast.
Even in her post-orgasmic bliss, the binding thing came back to bother her. Aria didn't know if she was ready to believe in the bonds, even if they were known to work. She honestly wasn't sure if she was the type of person to make something work based on... fate? Whatever it was that the Brions believed in, that arranged their matches and fated couples. Gods.