The Dragon's Kiss

Kel timidly approached the emperor.

As she came closer, he ordered her to sit, so she had no other choice but to sink reluctantly to her knees in front of him.

"You win.." the emperor murmured, reaching for her face.

"Excuse me?" Kel questioned, flinching as Calix's fingers traced her jawline.

The delicate touch was all too familiar. Despite the months they'd spent apart, her skin hadn't forgotten the feel of the Dragon Emperor's fingertips.

"You win," Calix repeated, gripping her chin. "So tell me what it is you want."

"I.. I.." Kel suddenly found herself in a daze as the emperor leaned closer to her, hypnotized by the candlelight dancing in his eyes.

"I want to have my bed returned to my squad's tent," she finally whispered, breaking away from the mesmerizing gaze. "Please, Your Majesty."

"Ha."

The emperor's hand dropped from Kel's face as if it had suddenly become too heavy.

"I put you by my side," Calix's voice grew dark, "a place where I could protect you completely."

Kel tilted her head.

Is that why the emperor had done all this? Was it his way of protecting her?

"And yet, you ran to another man's arms."

Kel's heart thumped loudly as the emperor began to rise from the bed. She tried to apologize, but her mouth was too dry to form a single word.

"So I punished everyone who bothered you, and I even let you go play soldier again," the man snarled, his dark figure looming over her.

In a panic, Kel tried to scramble backward, but the emperor caught her arm and pulled her to her feet.

"But still," he continued, forcing Kel to stand in front of him, "you only want to run away from me."

"I-I'm sorry," Kel yelped as the man yanked her arm and spun around her, trapping her between his body and the bed.

She was helpless now.

Behind her, she could feel the frame of the emperor's bed digging into her legs without leaving her any room to move.

In front of her, the dangerous man's abdomen was pressed firmly against hers while he stared down into her face as if he would eat her alive at any moment. The pressure from the emperor on her stomach and the bed on her legs would send her falling backward if she tried to move at all.

Together, they stood like that for what may have been seconds or hours. Slowly, while Kel's shuddered breaths filled the space between them, the orange glimmer painting both of their faces began to fade out as the lamp on the desk burned its last few drops of oil.

At the same moment darkness enveloped the entire tent, Kel's shaking legs gave out, sending her and Calix crashing onto his bed.

Again, Kel tried to scurry out of the Dragon Emperor's grip, but, again, he moved faster.

Instantly, Calix had both of her wrists held firmly against the bed and used his legs to pin hers down. No matter how hard she struggled to break free, his grip was too strong.

Her heart began to pound even more wildly as his face drew closer to hers.

Wincing, she scrunched her eyes shut. After everything, was this the end? Was this the moment that every single punishment the emperor had in store for her would be delivered? If Calix really knew everything, there was only one option left.

Kel opened her mouth to plead for mercy, but was cut off by Calix's lips meeting her own.

He was kissing her.

Suddenly, her intense fear became extreme confusion. Certainly this wasn't the action of a tyrant whose bloodthirsty gaze held her frozen only moments ago.

I need to push him off, Kel thought. I need to take advantage of this chance to break free.

But no matter how hard she willed it, she couldn't bring her body to move.

I need to-

Her thoughts began to melt as she was drawn into the passionate kiss. The lips that always spoke such fiery words were cold and soft. They tingled against her own. His teeth grazed her lower lip while his tongue danced between their mouths. As if being dragged under water, Kel found herself reciprocating the man's skillful movements.

He released one of her wrists, gradually sliding his hand down her arm to her neck. His touch sent shivers through her body. Shifting down farther, he lightly traced her collarbones.

Wait.

As his fingers neared her chest, the thought of tight wrapping underneath her tunic shook her back to her senses.

"Y-your Majesty," she squeaked, shoving Calix away and squirming to the edge of the bed. She flipped her feet onto the ground, but Calix grasped her wrist before she could stand up.

"I-it's just…" Kel stuttered, unsure what to say.

The emperor sat up behind her, still clutching her arm firmly.

"I, well, I-" she continued stammering.

"I know." Calix's soft voice filled her ear. He grabbed the bottom of her tunic, lifting it over her head and tossing it to the side.

Panic filled Kel's chest. She knew that Calix knew. It had always lingered in the corner of her mind that the emperor already knew everything.

But to have the wrappings around her chest exposed completely, the same ones she'd worked so hard to hide until now, felt terrifying.

"I already told you once that you could never run away from me," he chided, stroking her bare shoulders.

Briefly, Kel wondered how long he had known that she was the war hostage that had escaped from his clutches. There was no doubt it was from the moment he saw her face among the crowd of soldiers welcoming him to the Dragon's Heart.

But something wasn't right. There's no way he didn't hear of the real princess's marriage and realize Kel was an imposter. So why would he be treating her this way now?

"I'm not the princess," Kel murmured.

"I already knew," Calix responded. His breath was hot against her neck.

"Then why…" Kel trailed off.

Did he mean he knew from the time he took her hostage that he'd taken the wrong girl?

"I want you, Keliyah," the emperor whispered, pressing his lips into her skin.

The taut wrapping around her chest gradually loosened and fell to the ground as his fingers worked. All her questions faded away as she was swept up in the dragon emperor's heated embrace.