22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I ris was in a strange mood when I went to collect her for dinner the following night—but strange in a good way. More settled and confident than usual, with her shoulders pushed back and her head held high. The last remnants of the strange color she’d added to her hair had washed out, and her natural bright, pale hair gleamed with a silvery sheen in the orb light.

Regal. Iris looked regal.

She’d have made a majestic princess, if that had been something she’d wanted.

Maybe someday. Don’t give up hope.

“How was your day?” I asked, sitting on the end of her bed and rubbing Tilly’s side as she trotted over to lean against my legs.

Iris paused in the middle of brushing her hair, pulling it all over one shoulder in a way that showcased the smooth column of her neck to perfect advantage. I scrunched my eyes shut, doing my best not to look. That was a temptation I didn’t need.

“Illuminating,” she said after a long moment. “Each day that passes, I dream a little bigger. I suppose, when you don’t know what’s possible, everything feels impossible. The more I learn what could be, the more tempting it is to reach for it. Does that make sense?”

“Perfect sense,” I agreed, her words forcing me to assess my own complacency yet again. I knew what was possible. I knew what it was to have power—I’d been born into it. But had I been responsible with it? Had I considered the opportunities it provided? Not really. I’d dismissed that as Allerick’s domain, and nothing that I needed to concern myself with.

“Damen?” Iris asked sweetly. I memorized the soft way that she said my name, wanting to replay it in my mind before I went to sleep each night.

“Yes, Iris?”

“You know that thing you did the other night with your tongue?”

I almost choked on said tongue, not having seen that question coming for even a moment.

“Yes,” I rasped. “What about it?”

She chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. “It was really fun.”

This woman would be the death of me.

“It was, wasn’t it?” I hesitated for a moment. “Would you like to do it again?”

“Only if you would. Or we could do something else that’s, you know, fun.”

“Do you have any requests?” My cock was so hard that somehow it was hard to talk. My dick was the only part of my anatomy that was functioning correctly right now.

“Well, no. I don’t really know what the options are. I’ve never done any of this before, as you’ve probably figured out.”

Was that a trap? Should I answer that?

“Why don’t you lie back and let me take care of you?” I asked, an idea springing to mind. A very sensory idea that I thought she’d enjoy.

“Okay.” There was no hesitation, no shyness. She stripped off her clothes as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and I closed the distance between us, savoring the feel of her naked skin under my palms as I scooped her up and carried her to the bed—now free of the heavy drapes. Not because I thought Iris couldn’t get there on her own, but because I thought I’d die if I didn’t touch her.

If Iris wasn’t blind, I’d still be trying to get my hands all over her at any given opportunity if she’d let me. At least this way, I could pretend I was being polite and helpful at the same time.

I set her down on the bed and she propped herself up her elbows, legs stretched out long.

“Iris,” I rasped, drinking her in. She was so relaxed in my presence, and while everything about her was beautiful, that might have been the most beautiful thing. Iris was comfortable around me, and it was an honor I would continue to work every day to be worthy of, no matter what happened between us in the future.

“What is it?” she asked, her hair rippling like silk as she tilted her head to the side.

“You’re like a dream.”

Her face flushed the most divine shade of pink. “Does my body look very strange compared to yours?”

“Different, but not strange. You’re very… delicate.” I trailed my claw down her thigh, watching as her skin pebbled in my wake.

“And delightfully soft.” My hand—enormous compared to hers—easily wrapped around the top of her thigh and I gave it a squeeze, admiring the gentle give of her flesh. Shades weren’t built that way.

I shifted so that I could grab both of her legs, massaging them slightly as I worked my way down to her ankles. Iris’s thighs parted slightly, her back arching as I took my time easing the tension in her muscles. Had she ever had a massage before? I had been remiss in not giving her one.

“So dainty,” I murmured, tracing my claws over her feet. Iris giggled immediately, snatching them away.

“That’s not fair. Are you ticklish?” she laughed.

“No,” I replied, baffled, trying the gesture again but more softly this time.

“Stop! That’s worse.”

I stopped instantly, folding my hands in my lap. “I’m sorry. Does it hurt?”

“No, no, not at all. It tickles. It just makes me laugh.”

“Your body is such a delight,” I sighed, thrilled that I had discovered something new. “Does this tickle?”

I summoned two extra limbs made of shadows, directing them to twine around Iris’s legs briefly before brushing against the soles of her feet.

She kicked out again with a surprised laugh. “Are those your shadows?”

“Yes. Do you like them?”

“Very much.” She was quiet for a moment, her scent blooming into something sensual and intoxicating. “What else can they do?”

A shiver ran down my spine. “Anything I want them to do. Anything you want them to do.”

“Will you keep… exploring me with them?”

My knot throbbed fiercely. “Tell me if I do anything you don’t like.”

“I will,” Iris said, nodding her head eagerly.

I directed the shadow limbs back up her legs, teasing her inner thighs for a moment before sending them over her hipbones instead, lingering at her ribcage and only faintly brushing the underside of her breasts.

It wasn’t much movement, I didn’t want to push her too quickly while we were trying something new. Yet, it seemed to be providing more than enough stimulation. Iris writhed closer, whining slightly as I kept the tentacles just out of reach of wherever she wanted them to go.

Occasionally she’d rub her thighs together, trying to relieve some of the ache between them, before letting them fall open again and giving me a magnificent view of her glistening pussy. My mouth watered at the feast she was laying out for me, but I forced myself not to partake just yet. I wanted to savor this moment.

“Can you put your shadows inside me?” Iris asked. I nearly swallowed my tongue.

“Yes,” I choked out. “Would you like that?”

“I can’t get pregnant that way, right?”

I muffled a groan against my fist, imagining Iris round with my baby. “No, no. Not from a shadow tentacle. You need my cum for that.”

“I wish I could have your cum,” Iris sighed dreamily.

“It’ll be all over your ankle in a minute if you don’t stop talking like that,” I growled, giving the base of my cock an aggressive squeeze—whether to help it along or stop myself from losing control, I couldn’t quite decide.

She hummed thoughtfully. “That would be okay, wouldn’t it?”

“Iris,” I groaned, lying down on the bed between her legs, half draped over them, my hips thrusting lightly into the mattress of their own accord. I had a far better view of her pussy from here, which wasn’t helping with my intention not to entirely humiliate myself. “Are you teasing me on purpose?”

“I think so, yes. Something about the idea of you losing control, of being absolutely desperate for me… It’s very appealing.”

“I am absolutely desperate for you. Always.” I inhaled deeply, hoping I could embed the scent of Iris’s desire deep within my soul and keep it there. “Now spread those thighs so I can fuck you with my shadows.”

She did so with a faint whine, and I used my hands to push her ankles up, flattening her feet against the mattress.

“Look at you,” I murmured, my gaze transfixed. “That pussy knows who it belongs to.”

Iris made a muffled sound of agreement, wriggling down the bed, trying to get that aching, needy pussy a little closer to my face. I tutted at her impatience, using my hands like shackles on her ankles to hold her in place.

“Are you rushing me, princess?”

I hadn’t meant to call her that. But I wasn’t mad that I had.

“Yes,” Iris complained. “Because you’re taking so long.”

“So greedy,” I sighed in mock disappointment before kissing the inside of her knee so she’d know I wasn’t serious. There wasn’t a single thing on this earth Iris could do that would disappoint me. She owned me, body and soul.

My tentacles swirled around her nipples, tightening and releasing, and I formed a third one, letting that one brush between her thighs.

“Oh!” Iris startled before flopping back onto the mattress with a moan as I toyed with her clit. “You can make more?”

“As many as I like.” Especially with her desire already feeding me, making it easy to wield my shadows. The power I got from her was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. “You’re going to come for me like this first,” I instructed, sending more power to the thin strand of shadow stimulating her clit, making it more solid. “If you want a tentacle in your pussy, you’re going to have to earn it, princess.”

She made a garbled response, already grinding down on my shadows as best she could with my hands pinning her ankles in place and another set of shadow limbs ruthlessly toying with her nipples.

Go slowly, I reminded myself. Don’t get carried away .

Iris would look beautiful with my shadows crisscrossing her torso, pouring down her throat, collaring her neck…

Slowly .

Perhaps, someday, she would allow me that privilege. I couldn’t bear the thought of it belonging to anyone else.

“Damen!” she gasped, digging her heels into the mattress as she came with a beautiful cry, writhing to get closer and farther away all at once. I was trying to be a more productive citizen, I really was, but the idea of spending every moment of my day in bed with Iris had a lot of appeal.

Bringing her pleasure sounded plenty productive to me.

“That’s it, princess. Aren’t you good? Are you going to spread those legs a little wider for me or do I have to make you?”

She paused for a moment, breathing heavily. “Make me.”

My cock wept with precum, forming a wet patch on the bed beneath me. I wanted every drop of my cum inside Iris, but I managed to retain just enough of a hold on my sense to remember that I couldn’t fuck her.

Two more tentacles appeared, wrapping around Iris’s thighs just above her knees and pushing her legs further apart. I let myself indulge in one quick taste, moving up the bed to slowly swipe my tongue through her flowing arousal, stopping at her clit and toying with it roughly with my tongue.

“Damen,” Iris whined. “You said you’d fuck me if I came.”

Whenever I thought I had the upper hand, she’d go and say something like that and I was lost. Had I ever heard Iris say fuck before? How was I meant to seem cool, calm, and collected now?

I couldn’t even formulate the words to respond. I moved back so one tentacle could keep circling her clit, then sent another, thicker one to tease her slick entrance.

“Is this what you want?” I rasped.

“Yes. Yes . Please.”

“Well, then. Let’s see how well you take me.”

Iris exhaled shakily as I pressed forward, taking my time and letting her body get used to me. Unfortunately, there was no sensation in my shadow limbs—I couldn’t feel her cunt tightening around me. But it was certainly nice to see it, and to hear the exquisite sounds that Iris was making.

I paused for a moment. “How does that feel, princess?”

“Good,” she whispered, arching her back and lifting her hips. “Different. I like it. Can you go in a little more?”

“Of course.” I filled her a little more, thickening the tentacle so her pussy stretched tight around it.

“Oh yes,” Iris moaned, fingers grabbing clumsily for the blanket beneath her. “That is good , Damen. I can’t even imagine how good it would feel if it was your cock inside me instead.”

“Minx,” I chided affectionately, all but humping the bed now. “You wouldn’t be able to speak in full sentences if my cock was inside you right now.”

I focused on thrusting the tentacle in time to the rolling movements of Iris’s hips, building up slowly, slowly, slowly. As of its own accord, my hand had wrapped around my cock, and I fisted my shaft roughly, staring at the pretty picture Iris made for me.

There was no way I was going to make it back to my room before I came this time.

“I’m going to come. It feels different this time,” Iris whimpered. “There’s a kind of pressure.”

“Let it happen,” I soothed, rubbing her thigh with my free hand. “Let go, Iris. I’ve got you.”

She arched her back, mouth open on a silent scream before sucking in a desperate, greedy gasp of air.

“That’s it,” I encouraged raspily, entranced by the sight. “You’re amazing, Iris. You’re so beautiful. Fuck, you’re incredible. Fuck . I’m going to come.”

I didn’t stand a chance. I finished all over my fist, moving my hand down to massage my swollen, achy knot.

Iris frowned. “I thought you were going to come on me?”

This woman was going to be the death of me.

This time, when I woke up next to Iris, it was with a sense of purpose.

She was deep asleep, and I quietly crept out of bed, letting Tilly outside and filling her water bowl before slipping out into the corridor and heading upstairs.

“Astrid,” I called, jogging to catch up with her and Soren as they made their way to the breakfast room. “Can you procure me a pizza from the human realm?”

It was time to escalate things.

Iris needed to fall in love with me. It was imperative.

Astrid closed her eyes, exhaling heavily. It was an improvement on how she usually responded to anything I said—we appeared to be making progress.

“That is such an impractical request, Damen,” she said eventually. “Why do you want a pizza? We have all the ingredients here—just make one. Or command someone to make it for you. I don’t know how this works.”

“No Shade will know how to do it,” I pointed out. “And I want to surprise Iris. Do you think any of the ex-Hunters would know?”

Astrid shrugged, though my explanation seemed to have won her over at least a little. “Tallulah probably knows how to make dough.”

“Right. I’ll ask her then.” I was slightly deflated by that idea, only because Tallulah didn’t actually live at the palace anymore and I would have to wait for her to arrive. Could I visit their house and demand she come and make dough for me? Evrin probably wouldn’t like that.

Astrid looked at me for a long moment. “Or Ophelia might be able to help you, I guess. She can cook.”

“Perfect!” I brightened immediately, leading the way to the breakfast room where my sister-in-law was stirring a cup of tea.

“Sister, I require your services this morning. Will you help me make a pizza for Iris?”

“Um, sure. I mean, I guess we have all the ingredients, right?” She looked at Astrid for confirmation. “Meera’s tomato plants have done really well, I’m sure I could make a sauce.”

“Do you know how to do that?” Astrid asked dubiously.

“How hard can it be? Mash the tomatoes up until they’re a saucy consistency. I’m sure I can figure it out.”

Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe I should have insisted Astrid go to the human realm and purchase one.

“This is all sounding very romantic,” Ophelia added enthusiastically. “Are you wooing Iris now? She deserves to be wooed.”

Was that what I was doing?

“She doesn’t want to marry me,” I pointed out.

“She didn’t want to marry you then . You did ask very early on,” Ophelia chided gently. “Iris had an even steeper learning curve than the rest of us in adjusting to life here. Once she’s had time to find a new normal, who knows what she’ll want to do?”

I grunted in agreement, wanting this conversation to end. Everyone was staring at me and this wasn’t the kind of attention I enjoyed. I liked when everyone was laughing at my jokes, not giving me vaguely pitying looks as they remembered that time I proposed and she said no.

The fact that Soren and Astrid didn’t look at all surprised by this news just added insult to injury. Now everyone knew about my failed proposal.

“Can we get started now? I want to make Iris breakfast.”

Ophelia suppressed a smile. “It’s not really a breakfast food. Then again, roasted meat isn’t either and I’ve gotten accustomed to that, so why not?”

Allerick frowned as she stood. “I was hoping we could discuss what the mood around court is after the negotiations yesterday. I know some of the information has already leaked.”

“No secrets at court.” I shrugged. It had been that way our whole life.

“There are some concerns,” Soren admitted, piling food onto Astrid’s plate. “Mostly around placing our trust in the hands of Hunters to both keep their word and to patrol the area while we feed. Understandable concerns.”

“Have you heard anything that worries you?” Allerick asked him.

Soren shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. If this was a few months ago—when Ophelia first arrived here—then yes, I would have been concerned about the rebels using this information as justification for further violence. But, for the most part, the ex-Hunters are a fixture here now. Certainly at court, and increasingly in the wider realm. The energy stores have been decreasing, yes, but at a vastly slower rate thanks to them. And they’ve all made a concerted effort to adapt to life here. There’s a level of trust now that makes this plan feasible.”

“Great, sounds wonderful,” I interjected. “Can we go now? I want to make Iris’s breakfast.”

Allerick snorted. “Go on then. It’s nice to see you out of sorts like this. I believe it’s doing you wonders.”

“I’m so glad you’re enjoying it,” I snarked, annoyed that I’d given him grief about his relationship too many times in the beginning to be offended that I was getting it back.

“Come on,” Ophelia said affectionately, leading me out of the room. “Let’s go pester Calix in the kitchen.”

“I wouldn’t be doing this if you weren’t here,” I admitted. “He’s nicer to the ex-Hunters than he is to me.”

“Calix? Oh, he’s a big ol’ softie. You’re all so dramatic.”

The softie in question flipped his carving knife in his hand like it was made of shadows as we walked in, impatience written all over his face.

“What do you want?”

“We’re going to make a special human realm treat for Damen’s lady love,” Ophelia announced, clapping her hands together once and bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Can you spare us some bench space?”

“No.”

Ophelia rolled her eyes. It was a very human gesture and it never failed to make a small shudder of revulsion run down my spine. Fortunately, Iris never did it.

“Caliiiiiix,” she whined, dragging out his name. “Don’t be mean. Levana would be so disappointed in you.”

He gestured dismissively at a small patch of the counter, though I could have sworn he laughed as he turned away.

“Perfect. There’s a small cupboard of ingredients that Astrid’s collected up—let me grab what we need. Ooh, look there’s already a tomato sauce here. I wonder if Tallulah made that. She mentioned that she was going to start preserving stuff.”

“Do you know what you’re doing?” I asked as Ophelia set down an assortment of unfamiliar ingredients on the bench, looking less certain of herself with each one.

“Sure, I do. I’ve made dough before. There was definitely flour and water involved. And yeast—we have that. I don’t remember the exact amounts, but I can eyeball it.”

“I have lost confidence in this venture,” I told her solemnly.

“What’s this you’re making then?” Calix asked moodily, peering over her shoulder.

“It’s like a soft flatbread,” she explained. “To put toppings on.”

He grunted, stomping off without another word. Such a charming fellow.

“This is flour,” Ophelia explained, pouring a liberal amount of the white dust into a bowl. “And I guess I’ll just like, tip some of the yeast on top…”

I should have just woken Iris up by licking her pussy. That would have been a far more romantic gesture.

“And then, um, I’ll just add some water and mix it with my hands until it feels doughy. Yes! How hard can it be? They made dough in the olden days without stand mixers and internet recipes. I’m sure I can figure this out.”

“Who are you trying to convince here?” I asked.

“Everyone within hearing distance,” Ophelia assured me, slowly adding water to the bowl of white powder.

She worked in silence for a while, and it did seem to be making… something. It didn’t look appetizing, but it definitely looked like…

Something.

“I don’t think I got the yeast measurement right,” Ophelia muttered.

“Here.” We both jumped as Calix slammed an oval-shaped flatbread down in front of us. “Use this. I’ve been trialing different bread recipes.”

“You just had this the whole time?” Ophelia asked, outraged.

I concurred fully, but I was too afraid of Calix to say anything.

“I wanted to see what you’d come up with,” he replied with a rasping laugh before striding away.

“I’m telling Levana on you,” Ophelia complained, shaking her head. “Okay. We’ve got a base. We’ve got sauce. There’s definitely cheese in the ice pits, and Meera has basil in the garden. Let’s do this.”

Far later than I wanted to be, I made my way back to Iris’s room with a tray of whatever this concoction was, regretting all of my decisions since the moment I’d woken up this morning. I could have stayed in bed with Iris. What was I thinking?

“Can I come in?” I asked, knocking on the door.

“Damen? Yes, of course.”

“Is everything okay?” I asked, finding her sitting fully dressed on the bed, gnawing a little nervously on her lip while Tilly snoozed at the end of it.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m glad you came back.”

I paused for a moment. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t sure. You weren’t here when I woke up…”

“Oh, princess, I’m so sorry. I wanted to surprise you with a… gesture. It was an incredibly bad idea in hindsight. I don’t think anyone should let me have ideas, in all honesty.”

Her scent and expression brightened immediately, and I vowed never to leave her asleep and alone again.

“You wanted to surprise me? What’s that smell?” Iris asked, her nose twitching in the most enchanting way as she turned her head from one side to the other.

“I made you pizza.”

“You made it?”

“With Ophelia’s help,” I amended. “In truth, it looks extremely unappetizing to me. There isn’t even any meat on it. I’m not quite sure what the purpose of this dish is, but I’m hoping it will bring you some joy.”

Iris laughed. “Okay, okay, let me try it. It smells like it’s going to bring me joy. What did you put on it?”

“Ophelia said to tell you it’s a Margarita pizza because those were the ingredients we had. But also that it isn’t a Margarita pizza because she didn’t have the right cheese.”

“Well, I’ve never tried one of those, so even better.”

I helped Iris get comfortable at the small dining table in her room before sliding the tray with the entire pizza on it in front of her. As much as I wanted to make Iris happy, I would not be putting the strange, floppy meat-free creation in my mouth.

She felt around for the edges, gingerly picking up a piece and lifting it to her mouth for a bite. It was probably a good thing she didn’t know how blatantly I stared at her—I couldn’t look away. Her bright, blunt teeth were so dainty and charming. And her face was so soft and expressive—sometimes in ways that I wasn’t entirely sure she was aware of.

If Iris didn’t like the pizza, I was fairly confident I would know instantly based on the look on her face.

She nibbled on it tentatively before relaxing and taking a bigger bite, giving me a smile that didn’t entirely convince me that she was enjoying it. “Thank you, Damen. It’s very good.”

“Are you absolutely sure? It doesn’t look good.”

Iris pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. “It really is! The texture is a little different from what I had last time, but I’m guessing we don’t have all the same ingredients here. I do really like it—won’t you try some?”

“Absolutely not. I have a plate of roasted meat here—wouldn’t you prefer that?”

She shook her head, still hiding a smile. “No, thank you. I’m glad you’re eating too, though. Have you had a busy morning?”

“Pizza making was my whole morning,” I admitted, which didn’t sound very impressive on reflection, given how sad the creation on her plate looked. “Do you have plans for today? I was going to visit my brother Theon. You could come along, if you wanted to?”

Her scent sweetened into something so syrupy I felt like I could taste it. “You’d take me along to meet your brother?”

“Of course.”

“That means a lot to me, Damen. To just… not be hidden away. That means a lot, thank you.”

“Of course,” I replied slowly, a small glimmer of hope bubbling in my chest. Maybe Ophelia was right. Maybe there was a chance that Iris would be mine someday.

“While you were pizza making, Yara stopped by and asked if I could help in the nursery later since Alyndra had to visit home,” she said, looking faintly guilty about making plans.

“Good,” I said firmly. “I’m glad they’re seeing you as a reliable source of help, that’s amazing. My brother isn’t going anywhere—he barely leaves Lindow. You can accompany me another time if you want to.”

The tension in Iris’s shoulders eased immediately, a relaxed smile on her face. “I can’t wait.”