Chapter 24: The Limit

The dinner ended in strained silence.

One by one the others rose and left the hall. Nyx’s red eyes burned holes into Elara’s back as she passed. Thalira’s grey gaze was colder still—something inside the commander fractured a little further with every step the hero took at the Queen’s side. Morgana lingered just long enough to watch them go, amber eyes half-lidded with private amusement.

Lilith closed her fingers around Elara’s upper arm and guided her out.

They had nearly reached the private wing when Morgana’s voice drifted after them, light and deliberately provocative.

“Leaving so soon, little sister? Going to fuck the hero again? I had rather hoped we might share coffee and speak as sisters. I only just arrived.”

Lilith stopped. Her free hand curled into a fist so tight the knuckles whitened. When she turned, her voice was low and lethal.

“You are my elder sister, and I show you respect for that reason alone. Do not ever speak to me like that in front of others again. Do not test me.”

Morgana’s smile did not fade. She simply drew two fingers across her own lips in a mocking zipper motion, amber eyes glittering with insolence, then turned away.

Lilith did not wait for further comment. She pulled Elara the rest of the way to her chambers and sealed the door with a sharp pulse of power. The moment they were alone she released the girl’s arm and spoke without preamble.

“From tonight you stay with me. You attract too much attention. Your stubbornness is making me visible in ways I do not care for. My commander is on the edge of losing control. My younger sister is hiding something. And now my elder sister has arrived and already dares to mock me. You are taking your small revenge with every word and every look. You meant what you said at the table.”

Elara rubbed the place where Lilith’s fingers had bitten into her skin.

“Stop mocking me. If my presence bothers you so much, return my power and I will leave you and your disgusting sisters in peace.”

“Enough.” Lilith’s eyes flashed. “Your tongue grows longer by the hour. If you had embarrassed me in front of Morgana tonight I would have punished you on the spot—and I would have been glad of the excuse. My patience is finished. Tonight I will have you.”

Elara’s voice stayed flat. “I do not want it. What will you do? Rape me?”

Lilith stepped closer.

“No. You are my property. If I touch you, it is not rape. I am only handling what already belongs to me.”

“A moment ago you were looking for an excuse. Now you invent new ones. Hide behind whatever words you like. I will not give you what you want tonight. I do not want you. Why are you so obsessed with me?”

“I am not obsessed.” The words came out too sharp. “Do not overstep. I simply wish to taste what is mine. Nothing more.”

Elara’s mouth twisted. “Still making excuses.”

Something dangerous moved behind Lilith’s eyes.

“Undress. We are bathing. Afterward I will taste you on that bed. I will give you my first time, and I will be your first. You should feel fortunate—no one else has ever touched me. Our wedding night has been delayed long enough. And from the look of you, you have stopped crying. You are growing used to this.”

Elara met her gaze without flinching.

“What makes you so certain I am still a virgin? What if I am not?”

The change in Lilith was instantaneous.

Crimson eyes flared pure red. She seized a fistful of golden hair and drove Elara’s head back against the wall—hard enough to sting, not hard enough to truly injure. Her voice dropped into a snarl.

“Enough. Stop provoking me. You did it with my sister. Now you do it with me—pushing until I hurt you so the ending is delayed. If you were nothing but a used-up whore I would understand. Do not try to cool my desire for you again. I will bury you in the deepest levels of this citadel and let you discover what they do to broken things down there. Do not lower your value in my eyes.”

Elara’s breath came short. “…All right. Let go. It was only a joke.”

“Fuck you and your jokes.”

Dark power flared. The clothes on Elara’s body simply ceased to exist—torn away and dissolved in a single pulse. Lilith dragged her naked toward the bathing chamber and forced her into the wide pool. Water closed over her skin. Lilith stripped with sharp, efficient movements and stepped in after her.

Elara’s arms crossed tightly over her chest and between her legs. Lilith caught both wrists and pried them open.

“Look at me. Wash me.”

“No.”

Lilith’s grip tightened until the bones ground together. She forced Elara’s palms against her own breasts.

“Touch me. You will touch me. Like this. Get used to it. You are mine. I will make you crave this until you cannot live without it.”

Elara turned her face away. Lilith seized her chin and forced her head back.

“Open your eyes. Look. Open your arms. Show me every part of yourself.”

She took up a soft cloth and began to wash Elara with rough, thorough strokes—breasts, stomach, the curve of her back, the insides of her thighs. Elara struggled, but the Queen’s strength was absolute. Tears stood in her eyes without falling. Her mind raced in useless circles, searching for any way out that did not exist.

When Lilith was satisfied she released her.

“Out.”

Elara did not move.

“I said out. I have given you enough time.”

Still nothing. Lilith’s hand closed around her upper arm hard enough to leave deep bruises and hauled her dripping from the water. She threw her onto the great bed. Elara’s entire body shook so violently the mattress trembled. She could no longer form words. One arm tried to cover her breasts; the other pressed between her legs. The tremors would not stop.

Lilith saw it.

Instead of following her down at once, she lay beside the girl, equally naked, and drew the heavy blanket over them both. Elara immediately turned her back. Lilith’s lips brushed the curve of her shoulder. Her breath was warm against wet skin.

“I do not want to force this,” she murmured. The admission sounded scraped raw. “But I am past the point of control.”

Her arms slid around Elara’s waist. Her hands were ice-cold. Elara flinched hard.

“Just… use those pretty hands. Ease me. That is all I ask.”

“No. I do not want to.”

Lilith’s voice dropped.

“Then worse will happen on this bed. I do not want you to hate me more than you already do. If you will not ease me, I will not be able to hold myself back. I am barely speaking as it is.”

Elara’s fists came up and struck her own forehead once, twice. A broken sound tore from her throat. When she finally turned, her hands were shaking so badly she could barely control them. Tears ran freely now.

Lilith’s expression softened into something almost gentle.

“I am glad you understand, my dear.”

She guided Elara’s trembling hand beneath the blanket and pressed it between her own thighs. Slick heat met the girl’s palm. Elara’s fingers jerked as if burned, but Lilith held her wrist in place.

“Is it enough? Are you satisfied?” Elara’s voice cracked.

“You have only just begun.”

Elara could see nothing under the heavy silk, but she felt everything—the soft folds, the wetness, the way Lilith’s hips shifted into the contact. When the Queen whispered “Use your fingers. Ease me,” Elara tried to pull away.

“No—no, not that far—”

“Then keep stroking. Continue. Or I will make it worse.”

Lilith released her wrist. Elara’s hand stayed where it was. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressed her free hand over them, and moved her fingers in slow, reluctant circles. Minutes stretched. Lilith’s breathing grew ragged. Soft, helpless sounds escaped her. Saliva gathered at the corner of her mouth and slipped free. When climax finally took her it was deep and shuddering; wetness pulsed against Elara’s palm.

For a long time neither of them moved.

Then Lilith exhaled, the terrible tension leaving her body all at once. She gathered Elara close from behind, pressing open-mouthed kisses to her shoulder and the nape of her neck.

“Thank you, my dear. Yes… just like that.”

Elara’s voice was tiny.

“I want to put clothes on.”

“No. We sleep naked tonight.”

“I cannot sleep like this. Please—let me dress.”

A short silence.

“…Only the underthings. Nothing more.”

Under the blanket Elara pulled on the simple dark bra and panties that had been left for her. The moment she was covered Lilith’s hand slid up and closed over one breast, squeezing through the thin fabric. Elara’s breath hitched.

“You said you were satisfied,” she whispered, tears still falling. “Let go. Please.”

Lilith did not answer. The deep, sudden release had pulled her under. Within minutes her breathing evened into sleep. Her hand loosened and slipped away, coming to rest loosely against Elara’s ribs.

Elara lay rigid in the dark, staring at nothing.

Silent tears slid into the pillow.

How do I get out of this?

What do I do?

Archangel… why did you not come for me?

When will you save me?

I cannot bear it any longer…

Outside the sealed windows the night continued, indifferent and absolute.