To be consumed by the need for ecstasy to the point where logicality and shame meant nothing, where those brown smoldering eyes that gazed at her, were all that mattered.At first, her plan had been for him to see her, then she had progressed to wanting him to know how she felt, just like the other paintings she had described to him, just like the many things he wanted to touch but couldn't. She had been caught in the moment with the painting and done what she did without much thinking. Her system had shot into overdrive and her brain had taken a break from shock. She didn't want him to feel terrible about it, it appealed to her in a sick way she couldn't describe, and in her bid to reassure him, she had stripped and approved his actions further. Besides, had she not told him to show her all the paintings and she would describe how they felt to him? That had been one of the reasons she went ahead. She wouldn't scurry away just because a couple of those paintings were of her. She w
Her thighs widened and she whined, focusing on the pain that she felt when her teeth pressed against her lower lip instead of the pleasure that surged through her body at the contact of her fingers that slid in between her welcoming folds, pressing against her pulsating sex."This is wet."Something in his jaws ticked as he watched her. "I think it's really wet."He could hear it and that didn't help at all. It didn't help that his hearing was this good. The way she moved her fingers up and down, every swipe, every stroke, he could hear everything. Now, he couldn't hold back anymore, he walked across the room with intent and determined steps, and something sparked in her eyes when she saw that.Her gaze followed him as he move closer to her, while she bit back a moan that threatened to slip past her lips. She shouldn't stop now, but somehow, she didn't want to."It feels warm."She bit back another moan, this one causing her body to shudder slightly from her fight.Enough about ho
After stepping out of the bathroom and getting dressed, there was a knock at the door. Belladonna threw the door open, the painting Eli had promised to give her was at the door in Anok's hand. "Good morning, Milady. The King said this should be delivered to you."She had grinned and asked Anok to help her hang it on the wall. It was good to see something different in this room that was full of the color red. Something vibrant and full of life. She hadn't liked it so much yesterday but today, she felt different about it and it seemed to appeal to her. Maybe because of the memory that accompanied it. It was lovely, not in its appearance but in its memory. "Did you like it?" She had asked when he was done and Anok wore a confused look. "Milady?""The painting? Do you like it?"He had frowned, then shrugged."The King is talented.""I know that but do you like this painting.""Your desire towards the painting is what is important, not my insignificant one, Milady."At that time, the
She raced up to her feet at the first sight of his bare chest. "I'm fine in this. Never mind, Eli."He hesitated for a millisecond, then he continued unbuttoning his shirt anyways. With a simple swing, he took off his shirt."Well, I am hot." Before Belladonna had a chance to say anything to that, there was a knock at the door. Eli had not been pleased with the disturbance and with a grunt, he pulled his shirt back on, dashing to the door when he was done with that and his mask was once again on his face. He had come back into the study even more displeased.The news he had gotten made it necessary for him to leave. Without wasting even a second, he told her everything.What Belladonna had earlier feared was happening. The dragon was misbehaving. "Stay right here, I will lock the door. I see you are with my keys, one of them works for this door too. I will be back as soon as I can." He had instructed, then left after that.Belladonna let out a shaky breath. What was wrong with h
Belladonna's gaze flew right behind her, her grip on Raquel tight as she tried to make her stable on her feet. The emptiness she stared into was vast. It was as if Clio had disappeared into thin air, she was nowhere to be found. Belladonna heaved a sigh of relief. For a moment there she had been scared that Clio was a ghost. Although that idea had been torn between the fact that Raquel wasn't really stable for her words to be trusted at the moment and the very obvious one that she wasn't dead. Only the dead could speak to the dead.Belladonna's belief on why Clio would suddenly disappear like that was based on what had happened last time. It seemed the three ladies really detested people seeing them bleeding. The last time something like that had happened, they had ran away too, even though that one had been completely natural.As soon as she was done with Raquel, she would seek them out and ask if everything was alright. If they needed to see a physician, she certainly would help
"You know her," Belladonna said quietly, observing his reaction. It had almost seemed like a question but at the same time, it wasn't."I don't think so. I can't recall who that is right now, that is, if I have even met her, My Lady."Belladonna looked at him through squinted eyes. He was talking too much. That was unlike him. Something was up. Colin was quick to recollect himself though. "Thank you for delivering this, My Lady."She wanted to linger on longer and probe at her suspicion but she knew Colin. Whenever he was determined to be tight-lipped, there would be nothing to get out of him. Not even a word. She would have had more luck with Raquel. Unfortunately, she was unstable, and even now, worse. There was also the fact that Eli might return anytime soon. She wouldn't want him to find her out of the room. Her heart skipped a beat at her next thought. Hopefully, he wasn't there already. "You are welcome. Extend my greetings to Raquel when she wakes up. Tell her I wi
Belladonna had been lucky to meet the study empty but that hadn't been for long. Right after she settled into her seat to focus on the letters of complaints to get something done before Eli would come, she heard a click in the keyhole and Eli walked into the room.He stormed in, closing the door firmly behind him and shutting it. Then he settled in his seat and tossed his mask on the table. Belladonna looked up from the scroll, there was a deep, long, scratch on the mask, cutting through the iron like it was made by a low, sharp claw.She froze in her seat when she saw that blood that stained his shirt, there were small patches of it around his chest and on his sleeves. "By Ignas, what happened?!" The words had slipped through her lips when she could finally move them. "That dragon." He gritted, pushing back in his seat. "Losing its mind."She stood up from her seat and went to him."Should I get the Physician?" She wouldn't know where to go if he agreed to that, but that had bee
He moved his hand from her waist and before she could fall slightly back from the release of pressure, they were on her thighs with a firm grip, the leather feeling of his gloves on her skin a little rough.With an instinctive need to clench her thighs, she straddled him even further and let out a shaky gasp as his fingers sunk against her flesh from how tight his grip had become. Her hand slipped from his face to meet his shoulder and gripped it, just as the second one was doing to his other. His skin was warm underneath her palm and they seemed to flex under her touch.She was giving herself a lot of speech in her head to put a stop to her actions, trying hard to deny the command to rock against him and get her orgasm that her body was sending to her. "Did you see the painting?" He asked, his voice normal like they were just sitting at the opposite sides of the desk, not the position they were in right now, and having the most normal discussion and not one about her nude painting.
A pregnant woman's unwanted friends were swollen feet. Eli would usually help her massage them just as he was doing now. She was reading a book to him and he listened with rapt attention. His paintings adored the room, a piano at one corner, her sewing equipment at another corner with two studies joined to the room.He chuckled at something she read and she rolled her eyes. She had become quite irritable lately, little things would get on her nerves. It was just an interesting change to watch, especially because food was usually the cure, all kinds of food in their weirdest combinations. He had tried one once, it was terrible. She snapped the book shut. “By Ignas, do go on. I take back my laughter.”She seemed to have something else on her mind though. “Do you think I’m fat?”He smiled, “Like I always say, you are not fat, you are just pregnant.”“So you would want me like this?”He chuckled, the sound throaty as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. He moved quickly, she c
Eli and Belladonna had come a long way. After death pays a visit, who would expect a joining ceremony?The trail was only hours ago and everything still felt shocking to Belladonna. She was the Kore and Eli was the right-hand man to the UnderLord. She was no longer a ghost but a High Realm that could move from one realm to another, and grant to only those who deserved it a second chance at life. She was a Kore with no realm of her own but one she must build from scratch. The Fate had dissolved the Kore’s realm after they based their judgment on the previous one. Luna and Ama had promised to help her in all ways they could and Belladonna was grateful for the offer. She was more excited about her ability to move from one realm to another though. She couldn’t wait to see her sister, Arlo, and Alaris even though they might not be able to see her. As Eli had told her, the UnderLord didn’t have a right-hand man for a very long time. Many Thanatos had been trying to acquire the position.
“She passed two tests!” Ama sprung up from her seat., “There must be something—““You are not one of this council,” the Ghost High Being turned to her sharply, “so keep your voice out of the decisions.” Belladonna's eyes widened. Two tests! So Eli—- Ah by Ignas, she had been right. Where was Eli? Why hadn’t they let him come in yet?Ama smirked, “Still holding a grudge, Phosi? I see.”“Passed the two tests? It is obvious that she has failed. The rules are the rules,” The Sea High Being spoke, “she has failed. Pass the judgment, I have places to be.”Failed? Belladonna felt that painful jolt in her heart. What were they even talking about?!The hall seemed to share the same confusion as Belladonna, they whispered amongst one another. “Failed?!” Luna snapped. “How did she fail? It is not her fault that her soul didn’t align——““The rules are the rules! And you are not a part of this Council, stay out of it!” The High Being of the Sea snapped. “End this already,” he said to the Fates,
The days that followed were fast and the training was tedious, Luna helped as much as she could, probably more than any mentor ever would. Life in the Moonrealm was wonderful, but for the things that shattered her peace. After training in the Moonrealm for two moons, Luna had not-so-pleasant news for her. Eli was to undergo a test too, a single test.“He has to fight the UnderLord and defeat him.”“Who will train him?”“The UnderLord.”There was no way the UnderLord would train Eli enough to be able to defeat him. “He chose him to be his master.”Belladonna paused. Eli was definitely plotting something.“Also, the failure of one is the failure of both of you.”Belladonna blinked, the times and the trails were against them but Eli was no fool. He definitely had something planned. ——-——-[TRIAL DAY]The first thing Belladonna saw when she stepped into the hall was a woman on her knees screaming in agony, while three faceless people with the staff in their hands stood around her, the
Preparation“It is believed that holding the title of the Kore is a curse and there is a reason for that. Everyone that becomes the Kore always has a terrible end.” Luna paused as if considering her next words before she finally spoke. “Reincarnation should be beautiful, not filled with so many problems. Reincarnation and second chances, do you not think so, Belladonna?”Belladonna nodded, wanting to know about the Kore already, but instead of continuing with what she had to say, Luna drew a line in thin air, and a floating lightly illuminated map unraveled between them. There were different floating objects on the map, probably to signify places. “For your third test, you must be chosen as an apprenticeship for one of the Realm Lords.”“Chosen?”“It is quite tricky as it is your soul that chooses for you and if the Realm Lord of the one your soul along with thinks you are fit, then you will have passed the third test.”“I don’t understand. Something seems to be missing. What about t
“What?!” Belladonna yelled, grabbing Ama’s wrists tightly with rage. “How could not tell me?!”“How dare you disrespect me?!” Ama snapped her hands away from Belladonna’s grip, fury blazing in her eyes as she started getting bigger, losing the frame she had fitted herself into. Belladonna stayed firm, her anger refusing her to feel fear. How dare they drag Aniya into this? How dare they? If she had known, she wouldn't— By Ignas, she wouldn't have done this!To ruin another’s life for the sake of her happiness? Never!No.Then Ama stopped, looked at the castle, and was back to normal in a flash as if a thought had flashed into her mind to make her reconsider. “I will spare you the wrath of my mate only this once. You will not disrespect me again,” She said firmly but those were words Belladonna couldn't hear.They sounded like echoes in the background. Anger changed into fear, not for her but for Aniya.She fell to her knees and wept. “You must reverse it. Please, I am begging. Ask f
“Eli.” Tears were streaming down her face now.Finally, they could touch but this moment wouldn’t last forever, and they intended to exploit it for as long as they could.“Do you love me, Donna?” His hand cupped the side of her face.“You know I love you.” She slipped her fingers through his hair which had grown longer than she remembered. She had certainly not seen all of the real him when he possessed Jyris’ body. Now, he looked so different. “By Ignas, I do. I love you, Eli.”“And I love you too. No amount of this torture, nor of passage of time will take that away. I grant you the permission to forget me. You need not feel any guilt, it will be the best way of loving me.”Belladonna wiped her tears away. “It is ironic, you begged me to choose you in Gaya’s garden and I did not, and now that I want to choose you, you are begging not to.” The words spilled quickly out of mouth, as they tried to make the best use of their borrowed time.A glimmer of a smile snaked into his eyes. “It
The journey to Eli’s dungeon felt like a repeat of past events, it was like a flash of what had happened after the Red Moon Ritual, a reminder of the time Alaris had led her to his dungeon. She had followed Alaris with worry and love for him in her heart, then she found him in chains and finally, she left his presence betrayed, sad, and a grounded hatred for him.It felt sickening to be in this type of situation again though under different circumstances. She wished it was over, she wished she had seen him and saved him. She heard his voice before she saw him. A shout filled with agony. Her heart clenched with pain as she prepared herself to see the worst. Ama stopped walking and Belladonna who was following her did the same. Why had they stopped? She couldn’t see Eli anywhere, in fact, she could barely see her surroundings; she could still hear his voice though, and that in itself was too painful to bear. What type of torture were they putting him through? Suddenly, the growls of
The next thing Belladonna knew, her blindfold was ripped away from her and she was tossed roughly to the floor, her hands and knees bearing the brunt of the action. She expected pain but that never came. Oh, of course.The room was lit with red dim lights, however for Belladonna who had stayed in the dark for too long, the light felt blinding. The structure of the hall seemed like a throne room but it was of such an intricate design that she had no time to access it, the only thing that caught her eye was the strange, massive, dangling bed-like structure with curtains, connected with a chain to the roof of the hall; she could only assume that, it was too dark to see into the distance above. She rose to her feet and froze when she heard growls and gnashing behind her and she turned to look back, frightened. This beast, she had seen it before. Four-legged with three heads of mighty wild dogs, rough rocky skin with visible maps of the lava contained within. Vicious and ready to kill.