The cool night air wrapped around them as the garden's shadows deepened, isolating Pyris and Seraphina from the rest of the world. It was as though the stars above had disappeared, leaving only the two of them in a cocoon of heat, desire, and the undeniable pull of power.
Seraphina, once the proud princess of the Dragon Empire, now trembled in Pyris's arms, her breath ragged, her defenses utterly destroyed.
Pyris's grip on her waist tightened as he pressed her back against the cool marble wall. His lips traced a path from her neck to her jawline, every touch making her shiver with a mixture of anticipation and surrender. Seraphina's hands clutched at his shirt, her fingers gripping the fabric as though he were the only thing anchoring her in reality.
"You've been fighting it all night," Pyris murmured against her skin, his voice like velvet, roughened by the satisfaction of his victory. "But now you know—this was inevitable."
Seraphina's breath hitched, and she closed her eyes as his words sank in. He was right, and she had known it from the moment their eyes had met across the ballroom. She had been drawn to him, pulled into his orbit like a star falling into the gravity of a black hole.
And now, she was lost in him.
"I can't... stop," Seraphina whispered, her voice barely audible, laced with a mixture of fear and excitement. Her violet eyes fluttered open, locking onto his.
Pyris's lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. "I don't want you to."
Her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze, and for a moment, her mind raced, trying to grasp at any semblance of control. But it was useless.
Pyris had taken everything from her—her resolve, her control, her very sense of self—and replaced it with something far more powerful: submission.
Without another word, Pyris leaned down and captured her lips again in a kiss that was deeper, more demanding than before. Seraphina's body responded instinctively, pressing against his as her hands roamed over his chest, his shoulders, her fingers tangling in his hair.
She had never felt this kind of desire before, this need that consumed her so fully.
Pyris's hands roamed down her body, tracing the curve of her hips, his touch sending electric shocks through her veins. His dominance was palpable, and Seraphina found herself craving it—craving him—in a way that left her breathless.
"You're mine now, Seraphina," Pyris repeated, growled softly against her ear, his breath hot against her skin.
She whispered, her voice trembling with both fear and desire. "I'm yours."
_____
The garden felt like another world, isolated from the politics and manipulations of the ballroom, from the watchful eyes of the Dragon Empire. Here, there was only Pyris and Seraphina—and the magnetic force that had drawn them together.
Pyris pulled Seraphina closer, their bodies fitting together as if they had been made for this moment. His lips trailed down her neck, his hands gripping her waist possessively.
He could feel her trembling beneath his touch, her body responding to him in ways that told him she had fully surrendered.
She wasn't just giving in—she was offering herself to him, completely and without reservation.
Seraphina's mind was a blur. She had never felt this way before, had never been dominated so utterly. She was used to control, to manipulating those around her to achieve her goals.
But now, with Pyris's hands on her, his lips on her skin, she found herself reveling in the loss of that control.
Her breaths came in ragged gasps as Pyris's hands moved over her, exploring every inch of her body with a slow, deliberate touch. She moaned softly against his lips, her fingers clutching at his arms as though she might fall if she let go.
"You've been pretending for too long," Pyris whispered against her skin. "Pretending you didn't want this, pretending you were in control. But you knew... you've always known."
Seraphina's heart raced as his words cut through her, the truth of them undeniable. She had known. From the moment she'd set eyes on him in the ballroom, she had felt the pull—the need. And now, standing here in the shadows of the palace, she could no longer fight it.
"Take me," she breathed, her voice shaky but filled with resolve. "I'm yours."
Pyris's smirk deepened as he claimed her lips once more, his hands moving lower, his touch firmer now, more possessive. Seraphina moaned against his mouth, her body arching into him, craving more, needing more.
He had her now!
The air around them thickened as Pyris's dominance radiated from him, his golden eyes glowing faintly with a predatory gleam. He was the hunter, and Seraphina the willing prey.
Her every breath, every movement, was a submission to his power, a silent acknowledgment that she was his to claim.
Pyris's hand slid up her back, tangling in her hair as he deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring hers in a slow, sensual rhythm that made her knees weak.
Seraphina whimpered softly against him, her body trembling as she gave herself over to the pleasure that was building inside her, threatening to consume her whole.
She felt the heat between them intensify, her body reacting to his every touch, her mind spinning in a haze of desire. She had never felt this kind of intensity before—never. And now, she couldn't imagine anything else.
Pyris's smirk widened as he leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear. "And you'll do anything I want, won't you?"
Her breath hitched at his words, and she closed her eyes, her body trembling with the weight of her submission. "Yes," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Anything."
Pyris's satisfaction was palpable as he gazed down at Seraphina, her violet eyes clouded with desire, her body pressed against his, trembling under his touch. He had won.
He had taken the princess of the Dragon Empire, and she had given herself to him fully.
But this wasn't just a physical victory—it was a political one as well, one he didn't care about so much at the moment.The Valyrians had set a trap for him, but Pyris had turned it into his own victory, claiming their most prized daughter in the process.
Seraphina had fallen. And now, she was his.
The cool night air wrapped around them as the reality of what had just happened sank in. Seraphina's chest heaved as she caught her breath, her body still trembling from the intensity of the moment. She looked up at Pyris, her gaze filled with a mixture of awe and surrender.
Pyris smirked, his hand still gripping her waist as he leaned down to press one final, possessive kiss against her lips.
"Seraphina," he whispered against her mouth. "I'm not letting you go."
Seraphina's heart raced at his words, her body responding instinctively to the promise in them. She knew there was no going back now—no returning to the woman she had been before.
She had given herself to him, and Pyris had claimed her in every way that mattered.