Chapter 77: A Complete Failure of Higher Brain Functions
Like a wave beginning at her ankle, which was still firmly held in the hyena male’s hand, goosebumps spread across Mirabelle’s entire body.
A tingling followed, spreading beneath her skin. Pleasant. Unbearable.
Kaelith saw exactly what he was doing to her. A dangerous glint entered his eyes.
As though trying to soothe her skin, his hand glided up her leg.
How convenient that Mirabelle’s dress had such a long slit that it granted him access to absolutely everything.
Unfortunately for her.
The hyena looked at her with such hunger that she wanted nothing more than to disappear beneath the bedcovers.
Yet the farther Kaelith leaned over her, the harder it became to look away. Her gaze kept drifting to the shifting muscles beneath his skin.
Dark markings covered much of his upper body.
They twisted across his shoulders, chest, and arms in intricate patterns that clearly meant something.
Mirabelle had no idea what.
She was so captivated that her chance to retreat had already passed.
And then he reached dangerous territory.
Now every touch sent sparks racing straight to her center.
A mixture of a purr and a moan escaped Mirabelle.
It was simply too overwhelming.
So she reached for him.
His free hand intercepted hers, threading their fingers together. One of her hands now lay trapped beside her hip while his other continued its relentless journey.
Somewhere beyond the open balcony, evening insects chirped in the fading light. The sound felt impossibly distant compared to the storm raging beneath her skin.
The tingling in her body refused to leave enough energy for her brain to function. So she tried reaching for him with her free hand. Trying to stop the sensation.
It had the desired effect.
For about three seconds.
One moment they were holding hands.
The next, his leg slipped between her thighs, his knee pressing against that sensitive spot and sending shockwaves through her body.
The rough weave of the blanket scratched against her calves as she tensed.
Her tail jerked violently beneath her before lashing once across the mattress.
But any sound she might have made died against his lips.
Meanwhile, he pinned her hands above her head against the pillow. His tattoos seemed to come alive whenever he moved, flowing over the shifting muscles beneath his skin.
One hand wrapped around both her wrists. His now free hand returned to the spot on her thigh where it had been interrupted.
Had Kaelith’s mouth not been on hers, Mirabelle’s jaw would have dropped at the sheer audacity of the hyena.
His tongue traced her lips, asking for entrance.
But Mirabelle’s thoughts were far too occupied with the hand now resting on the inside of her thigh.
Kaelith shifted his weight. His knee moved away.
Yet the absence of contact suddenly felt just as intense as the pressure had moments before. Cool evening air drifted in through the balcony doors and brushed across skin that suddenly felt far too sensitive.
Something tightened inside her. The lynx female gasped.
And Kaelith shamelessly took advantage of it and his tongue was immediately in her mouth.
The warmth radiating from Kaelith’s body dwarfed the evening chill.
This kiss wasn’t gentle like the one in the market of Rotwald. This time desire danced just beneath Kaelith’s skin.
Behind him, his tail lashed once across the mattress before he forced it still again.
He possessed only barely enough self-control not to lose himself entirely and let his Beast take over.
Because he could feel it under his skin.
Fire ran through his veins.
It felt as though his Beast was clawing at the inside of his skin.
The familiar scents of stone, smoke, and wood still lingered around him, but Mirabelle’s was all he could truly focus on.
He couldn’t remember ever being this aroused.
Every subtle reaction to his touch, every sound that escaped her throat, every wave of desire that reached his senses pushed him closer to the edge.
A pulsing need overtook his body.
Every instinct strained toward her.
Closer.
Even closer.
He wanted to be as close to her as physically possible.
But he had been taught to be slow.
Careful.
Thorough.
Beastmen were so much stronger than females that they could easily hurt them.
That was why they cultivated. Why they spent years learning control. Learning to wield their strength with the finest precision.
Yet right now Kaelith discovered exactly how difficult that was when every instinct inside him wanted only her.
He finally pulled away from her lips and looked down.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mirabelle caught a glimpse of his tail sweeping restlessly behind him.
Her breathing came in short bursts.
Her lips were swollen and darker than usual.
Her eyes struggled to focus on him.
... And he hadn’t even truly begun.
He gave her a moment, wanting her eyes on him.
Somewhere outside, a nightbird called. Neither of them paid it any attention.
When her gaze finally cleared and met his, his fingers brushed her center for the first time. The fabric of her panties rubbed against her sensitive spot under the pressure of his fingers.
Mirabelle gasped.
Her tail thrashed once against the blankets before curling tightly around her leg.
Her body arched, lifting her back from the mattress as her arms pushed against his grip with surprising strength.
He didn’t move an inch.
Deep satisfaction filled him as he watched her features dissolve into pure bliss.
His tail curled around one of the bedposts before slowly loosening again.
A loose strand of her hair had become tangled in the pillow beneath her. For some reason, the sight lodged itself in his memory.
Another involuntary tremor ran through her and stars exploded behind Mirabelle’s eyes.
’Holy.’
If this body reacted so intensely to something this simple, then how was she supposed to survive...
The thought vanished before it could finish. Her entire focus narrowed to the sensations he was creating.
His fingers moved with impossible precision, drawing another involuntary reaction from her with every circle.
Kealith moved his fingers like an artist playing an instrument.
Every movement tightened something low inside her.
A sharp ripping sound cut through the room.
Fabric gave way around her hips. This sound seemed unnaturally loud in the otherwise quiet room.
The sudden tug startled her, a brief sting flashing across her skin before heat spread outward from the spot.
For one utterly ridiculous moment, a single thought drifted through her mind.
’Oh.
That was hot.’
And once again, heat surged through her body.
But her arms still fought against his hold.
Not because she wanted him to stop.
But because her body had developed a will of its own.
Pure instinct urged her to take control. To overpower him.
Yet he wasn’t ready to surrender it.
"Don’t be so impatient," he murmured. "You can eat me later."
A grin tugged at his lips.
"But right now, I’m eating."
With those words, he freed her wrists, kissed her lower lips, and his finger finally slipped inside her.
A soft, wet sound followed the movement.
Mirabelle inhaled sharply.
The sensation was almost worse than the teasing.
Or better.
She honestly couldn’t tell anymore.
One of her hands tangled in his hair as she clapped the other over her mouth. Trying to hide her embarrassment.
His finger slid deeper — slow and deliberate — and every inch felt impossibly vivid.
A helpless sound escaped her.
Kaelith groaned in response.
The noise vibrated against her core and sent another shiver racing through her body.
His lips, his tongue, his fingers.
They moved in perfect rhythm, and Mirabelle could feel pressure building inside her.
It was as though she had suddenly become too much for her own body.
Yet Kaelith was relentless.
His fingers glided along the sensitive ridges inside her while his lips teased her pearl and his tongue explored her thoroughly.
She tasted of vanilla and cinnamon, much like her lips and skin, but there was something herbal beneath it.
Her legs began to tremble. Instinctively, she wanted to close them.
But with Kaelith kneeling between them, all she managed was to press them tightly against him.
Her free hand clenched the bedsheets beside her as Kaelith gradually increased his pace. The coarse fabric dug into her palm, grounding her for all of half a second before the sensation vanished again.
Then, with a flick of his tongue and a powerful thrust of his fingers, something inside her shattered.
Like a dam breaking, pure light flooded through Mirabelle’s body.
For a moment, she couldn’t see.
Her entire body trembled.
A sharp, liberated cry tore through the room, followed by a mixture of purrs and moans.
Kaelith let her ride the wave slowly, his fingers continuing their movements while her inner walls clung desperately to them.
Her core tingled and pulsed.
For one impossible moment, it felt as though she wasn’t lying on a bed at all.
She was floating.
Weightless.
The scent of warm stone and smoke lingered around her. The distant chirping outside the balcony sounded muffled, as though it belonged to another world entirely.
Then awareness crashed back into place, and she felt her muscles trembling.
Tears born of pure bliss had gathered at the corners of her eyes. For a few moments, her vision remained blurred, and she could only vaguely make out what the hyena was doing after withdrawing his fingers.
He had simply knelt upright before her, his hands at the waistband of his trousers.
RIIIP.
Had he just—
She pushed herself up onto her elbows.
A remarkable achievement, considering her muscles seemed unwilling to cooperate.
Her tail had become hopelessly tangled in the blankets sometime during the last few minutes.
Her tail had become hopelessly tangled in the blankets sometime during the last few minutes.
Without looking, she reached down and tried to free it, her attention remaining entirely on the much bigger problem sitting in front of her.
As her vision cleared, she saw him.
The last light of sunset poured in through the balcony behind him, framing him in amber and shadow.
And suddenly her mouth went dry.
