serendipity and sex

Part 4

The hegemity of the harem aside, Roksu actually did think about it. He thought about a lot of things. He couldn't help but question the world around him as though prodding it for the plot hole that would surely reveal itself.

He wasn't the sort to just accept things as they were and move on. He was the type to ruminate on it and then move on.

And in any normal circumstance, he would have pondered a few explanations for the existence of the male harem, come up with a few plausible explanations, and dug no further.

Most people probably would have also dismissed the smutty romance novels that lined the harem library. Romance didn't need to make sense or to have any groundings in reality so long as it could pluck the heartstrings of the reader.

But Roksu had noticed a curious trend in the novels. It would be simple enough to call it a peculiar kink that some previous individual who'd lived within these walls had left behind them. Roksu could have thought it was just that.

He was just also the sort of person who asked questions like 'why is there a small library here to begin with?'.

Why is there a male harem? Why is there a library? Why do so many of the novels have a curious trend of beastly men with a limited capacity for any sense at all? Men who all seemed to share a particular curse?

Roksu wasn't someone to jump to conclusions otherwise he would have already informed Cale of his suspicions. It had really only become confirmed for him when he saw the panicked and helpless look on Alberu Crossman's face.

He shared Cale's disapproval though. The man ought to have found the time to offer them a proper explanation before it was down to the wire like this. It was reckless and inconsiderate of him. It was possible that he believed he had more time but as an inconvenienced party in this matter, Roksu was somewhat unwilling to offer him that grace.

Roksu placed a hand on Cale's shoulder to quell his temper. "I can go first." He winced at the thought. He hated pain and he hated the idea of experiencing some of the more graphic novels he'd read firsthand but Cale didn't know what was coming. Rationally speaking, he was the only person here who could give informed consent. Besides, the palace doctors would be available if anything went wrong. He'd be fine.

Cale's fiery brown eyes met his with a fierce glare. "Like fucking hell you are." He batted Roksu's hand away.

To an outsider, it might actually look like they were fighting over Alberu's attention. It was a good thing that the only outsider was Alberu and he was quickly losing his ability to focus on anything at all, much less the bickering pair in front of him.

He already knew it was supposed to be like this, his thoughts and coherence sinking away into a void while all that remained was animalistic desire.

It didn't make it any easier to cope with.

He was a person who treasured his autonomy above most things and to have it stripped away in such a brutal way was torturous.

He'd already sensed that it was beginning before he'd even entered the room.

Smells were so much more vivid than vision. It was a strange time to realize that emotions had their own intrinsic scents. Fear, lust, protectiveness, apprehension, anger, intrigue... all the smells were overwhelming his ability to think, to breathe properly.

And inside of him there was an ever growing desire that threatened the very core of his being with how it struggled against him.

The choice that the tiger offered him was very simple, kill or fuck.