Esania froze as his lips pressed against hers.

Softly at first, then harder and harder, he kissed her. His lips were warm, smooth, sensual, completely at odds with the harsh appearance of his face. He sucked her lower lip gently, running his smooth armor-gloved thumbs over her cheeks, easing his fingers along the braided rows of her hair. He held her in a half-grip, half-caress that was rough yet gentle, and oh-so possessive.

He probed her mouth with his tongue, which was long and pointed at the end. Her tongue connected with his, and Esania’s mind was blown.

You can’t do this!

That was the first thought that entered her mind, a legacy of years of Primean conditioning, but the intensity of Imril’s kiss quickly swept away her reservations.

Her energy surged into him, and even though she was being drained, she didn’t care, because a blissful sensation spread throughout her body, relaxing her muscles, filling her with warmth, sending a delicious ache right down into her tender clit.

So this was what it felt like to be kissed.

The Primean in her recoiled in horror, but she locked that part of her away, rejecting the culture she’d been raised in.

It wasn’t as difficult as she’d thought it would be.

It was surprisingly easy, in fact.

She kissed him back.

Her very first kiss, and it was everything she’d never imagined it could be.

He kissed her harder, his lips crushing against hers. He tasted like sweetness and embers, and she wanted more, even as she slumped against him, the strength leaving her legs.

He pulled back, withdrawing his touch, taking a step back, his golden eyes widening in alarm. “That’s enough.”

“Imril…”

“Esania.” From his lips, her name was a whisper, a growl, a reverent song. Her heart hammered. Her lips tingled with the memory of his kiss. Her desire surged.

What does this mean?

“Let’s go,” he said gruffly, beckoning to her. “Do you understand now why you need to trust me?”

“You never planned on letting me go, did you?”

He didn’t answer her question, but the corner of his mouth turned upwards in a secret little smile. “Come, Esania.”

In a trance, she drifted to him, allowing him to place his hands on her shoulders. He slowly spun her around and pulled her against him. “I’m still drinking in your vir,” he whispered darkly, his voice infused with power and pleasure, “and now I am going to bind you to me.”

Unable to even think of escaping him, she pressed her back against his rock-hard torso and let him slide the rope across her chest, under her arms, around her waist, even between her legs. Just like last time, he moved quickly and efficiently, but this time, his touch was a caress.

His hands skimmed over her breasts, her waist, her hips, awakening her body.

With their bare skin was separated only by thin barriers of metal and cloth, Esania ached to feel him bare skin against hers.

“I can’t stop absorbing your vir right now, Esania.” His low voice was a soft caress against her ear. “I know it’s exhausting, but you don’t need to be afraid. I’ve got you. I will never let you fall.”

She couldn’t shake off the lingering sensation of his kiss. “And what are we supposed to do now… about all this?” His kiss was no accident. The Overlord wanted her.

“There is a solution,” he murmured. “I did not think I would be suggesting it so soon, but…” His voice trailed off as he unfurled his majestic wings.

“Cryptic as ever, I see,” Esania muttered, but her voice was drowned out by the rush of air around them as Imril beat his wings, generating tremendous force.

They rose through the trees, defying the laws of physics as Imril maneuvered this way and that, finding a clear path through the canopy. When leaves and branches blocked their way, he simply blasted them, and they disintegrated into ashes.

Suddenly, they were up above the canopy, and a gust of cool air swirled past, lifting them higher and higher.

They soared, and Imril wrapped his powerful arms around her. All Esania could do was watch the dazzling landscape below as he held her tightly, and she knew without a doubt that he was never going to let her go.