Predatory Marriage (A)

Security Measures

Leah smiled bitterly as she imagined her father's funeral, with all the nobles in Estia gathered. No one there would mourn. She couldn't protest; even his own daughter hadn't shed a single tear. But at least his body would receive a proper burial.

Now Blain would take the throne. She worried about what the callous and violent man would do to torment the employees at the palace, but she shook her head and put those thoughts aside. She shouldn't think of Estia on her wedding day.

Eating some of the dates Mura had left for her, Leah let her thoughts fill with other things.

After a while, Mura returned with a small tray bearing a red flower without a stem. Leah placed the flower in her mouth so that it seemed to be blooming from her lips. Until she met Ishakan, she would have to carry the flower there.

Following Mura outside, she climbed into a magnificent sedan chair. It looked heavy, but her ladies-in-waiting lifted it with no sign of difficulty and carried her to a small building at the rear of the palace, avoiding the noisy guests. The small annex there was used only for important events. A small wall surrounded the white stone building so only its domed roof could be seen.

Taking a deep breath before the dark wooden door, she pushed it open. The interior was dimly lit, with curtains on every window, light shining dimly within. Moonlight cascaded through the circular opening in the ceiling.

Leah looked at the full moon behind thin clouds, then turned around to look at the room. It was different from any place she had ever seen before. In the center was a circular bed, placed under the window in the ceiling so the moonlight illuminated its white sheets. Beside it was a small table and armchair.

But no matter where she looked, she didn't see Ishakan. Beyond the bed, Leah found a place covered by a thin hanging cloth. Cautiously, she approached.

"Leah."

A voice spoke from the other side of the cloth. Quickly she pulled it aside, catching the smell of alcohol. Leah automatically took a step back.

"......!"

She almost dropped the flower in her mouth, blinking in bewilderment. She remembered what Mura had said.

—We will establish security measures.

Leah had expected her to do something, since she was so worried, but she would never have imagined this.

The large iron pillar before her did not match anything else in the small building. Ishakan sat in front of it with his arms bound and his upper body wrapped in heavy chains. When he lifted his head, she saw that he was blindfolded with a red cloth. Suddenly, he smiled. When he spoke, his voice was warm.

"Hello, my bride."

He sounded different than usual. Leah's hand squeezed over the ache in her breast. To give him an answer, she had to first give him the flower on her lips.

Kneeling before Ishakan, she bent her head as Mura had told her to, bringing her mouth close to his. His head tilted slightly and he took the flower from her in one bite, swallowing it. Then he pounced.

"Ah..."

Finally she could speak, and the first sound she made was a moan as she received his passionate kiss. But he could do nothing more than that because of the chains. His lips parted, baring his teeth in discontent, and he rested his head on Leah's neck.

He smelled strongly of alcohol.

"Did you drink a lot?" Leah asked, taking his face carefully in her hands.

"Ha..." Ishakan sighed deeply. "Kurkans made me drink alcohol. Like they wanted me to get drunk..." As host, he could not refuse the alcoholic drinks offered by his guests, so he had drunk everything they offered him. He had endured for quite some time before he got drunk.

Leah examined him carefully. His red robe was the same color as her dress and fit him well. Ishakan's face moved toward hers, interrupting her admiration.

"Let's do it again."

Seated on his thighs, they kissed deeply. They might have gone on forever if Leah hadn't been distracted by the constant rattling of his chains.

"Ishakan, wait a minute..." Leah caught her breath, inspecting the chains that bound him. "Are you all right? Doesn't it hurt?"

He was not only bound, but blindfolded. Her mouth opened as she looked at all the bindings. Was all this really necessary? She didn't want him to suffer.

But even as she thought that, he laughed softly. Surely he had allowed them to bind him. Even drunk, they couldn't have tied Ishakan up like this if he had not permitted it.

Ishakan shook his head as if he were trying to clear it and licked his lips.

"Are you wearing the red dress?"

"Yes. It's the same color as your robe."

"I see. I can hear the bells."

"The bells...are in the jewelry."

"Where? On the wrists?"

"On the wrists and the ankles."

"It must look beautiful."

Leah touched the red cloth covering Ishakan's eyes.

"If I remove this..."

"You'd better not," Ishakan said flatly. His voice softened. "I miss you too, Leah. But I want our first wedding night to be safe."

The words made her blush. Hesitating, Leah wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and Ishakan let out a sigh.

The clouds moved away. The moonlight brightened. She remembered the other night she had spent with him when the moon was full. Her memories of that night were so filled with passion, it embarrassed her to think of it.

And Ishakan seemed even more aroused than he had been that night. His manhood was firmly er3ct, bulging through the fabric of his robe.

They had warned her that he hadn't smoked any tobacco for a week. It was to temporarily alleviate its effects, so he would stay more true to his instincts. Between the full moon and the alcohol, his tolerance was drastically decreased.

For Ishakan's sake, she had to do something.

She had already made up her mind and grabbed for the hem of her bodice when he spoke.

"Can you take off your clothes?" he asked, as if he already knew what she was going to do, even blindfolded. "Even just the upper part. I'll lick your breasts."

Loosening the ribbons and small buttons her ladies-in-waiting had so deftly fastened, her bodice fell away. The jewels clicked as they struck the floor. She felt nervous with the air brushing her bare skin, and her n!pples stiffened in the slight chill.

Seated on his thighs, she cupped her br3asts in her hands to make it easier for the bound Ishakan, though it was embarrassing to touch her own soft flesh this way. Ishakan's head bent as he slowly licked her neck. He rubbed his face against her br3ast and her n!pples hardened in anticipation. She could feel herself growing wet, even though he hadn't touched her there.

Noisily, he began to lick and suck on her n!pples, his sharp teeth biting to the point of pain. In the dark and silent room, there was no other sound to be heard but the noise of his lips and tongue.

"Now, the lower garment," he whispered.