The Taste of Power

Chapter Three

“Does your queen tremble, my king… or does she burn for more?”

Liana’s whisper curled against Kael’s lips as he kissed her again, rougher, hungrier, devouring her like she was a conquest won on the battlefield. Her gown slid lower, baring the curve of her breast, and she felt his hand claim her skin as though it had always belonged to him.

Her thoughts blurred with heat, but somewhere in the haze of desire, her mind whispered of danger. She had sworn to hate him, sworn never to surrender. And yet her body betrayed her every vow.

Kael pulled back, golden eyes narrowed, chest heaving. His grip on her waist was iron. “You tempt me like no woman has dared. Do you know what you are doing?”

Liana smirked, though her heart thundered. “I am giving my king what he wants.”

“You give nothing,” he countered, pressing her back into the sheets. “I take.” His voice lowered, dangerous and seductive. “And I will keep taking until there is nothing left of your defiance.”

Her breath caught as his lips traced fire down her neck. She arched against him, unable to stop the moan that spilt from her lips. “Then take me, Kael. Take everything.”

His name on her tongue seemed to break something inside him. His mouth returned to hers, savage and demanding. He kissed her as if punishing her for the very invitation she had given. And she kissed him back with equal fury, her nails raking across his back, her legs parting beneath his weight.

The silk sheets twisted around them. The golden cloak that had once draped like a symbol of untouchable power now wrapped around her body as if it, too, surrendered her to him.

But just as the world began to narrow to nothing but heat and breath and desperate need, a sound shattered the moment.

A knock.

Loud. Sharp. Unforgivable.

Kael’s head snapped toward the door, fury sparking in his eyes. “Who dares interrupt me?” His voice rolled like thunder.

Liana scrambled upright, tugging the gown across her chest, heart still racing with lust and shame. The interruption was a cruel reminder of where she was: the king’s chamber, not a lover’s bed.

A muffled voice came through the door. “My king, forgive me. Urgent news from the border.”

Kael cursed under his breath, his hand still gripping the bedpost as if he would rather snap it in two than leave her. He turned back to her, his expression fierce. “This is not finished.”

Liana’s lips curved despite her trembling. “Perhaps your kingdom will not allow you to finish, Kael.”

His eyes burned with promise. “You will regret taunting me when I return.”

Then he strode across the chamber, his cloak swirling behind him. With one last look that seared her to the core, he flung the doors open and was gone.

The silence he left behind was deafening.

Liana pressed a hand to her chest, her skin still burning where he had touched her. She tried to steady her breath, but her body betrayed her once more—she wanted him. God help her, she wanted him still.

Yet as she sat there, gown tangled around her, another thought struck, sharp and cold. If Kael left her aching and desperate every time he was called away, then he would control her without lifting a sword. She could not allow that.

She stood, pacing the room, fighting the fire still coursing through her veins. No. She would not be his wh*re. She would be his equal—or his ruin.

Her reflection in the mirror stopped her. The red silk gown slipped low across her shoulder, her lips swollen from his kiss, her skin flushed. She looked nothing like a queen. She looked like a concubine who had been used and discarded.

“Not yet,” she whispered to her reflection. “But soon, I will turn his hunger into my weapon.”

The door creaked open again, softer this time. It was not Kael but a servant, a girl barely older than Liana, eyes wide as she carried in a tray of wine and fruit.

“Forgive me, my lady,” the girl stammered. “The king ordered this for you before he left.”

Liana’s lips parted. Even in his fury, Kael had thought of her hunger. She almost laughed. The gesture was tender, but it was also another chain. Every sip of wine, every morsel of fruit, would remind her of him.

She dismissed the girl and sank onto the bed again, picking up the goblet of dark wine. The taste was rich, heavy, intoxicating. She let it burn down her throat and whispered into the empty room, “If I cannot resist him, then I will learn to control him.”

The thought both thrilled and terrified her.

Because if Kael truly was relentless, then she would have to be even more ruthless to survive.