The next morning, I decided to go see a certain princess. I thought she might know something about the banquet; although I had complete faith in Adela, I felt it wasn't a bad idea to visit her. Besides, I realized I hadn't teased her in quite a while.
When I slipped into her room unnoticed, what I found took me by surprise.
Elara was lost in the moment, trying to stifle her moans by biting her shirt so as not to be discovered.
"Mmm… no… it's not enough," she whispered between gasps. "That devil… he did it differently…"
I stood in the shadows, enjoying the spectacle of seeing the proud princess of Demor reduced to a bundle of basic instincts because of me. Her back arched and her fingers dug into her own skin, desperately seeking a sensation that only I had ever given her.
"It seems you missed me more than you'd care to admit, Elara," I said, my voice laced with deadly irony.
She tensed violently. The scream she tried to let out was stifled when she turned and saw me leaning against the window frame, watching her with utter coldness. Her face, already flushed from the effort, flushed even more with a mixture of terror and unbearable shame. She tried to cover herself with the sheets, but her movements were clumsy and frantic.
"C-Cassian! How… how long have you been there?" she stammered, her chest still rising and falling with ragged breaths.
I approached slowly, enjoying the way she backed up until she hit the headboard.
"Long enough to notice that 'that devil' has you pretty obsessed," I replied, gripping her chin firmly to force her to look at me. "Searching for my scent in your own room like a bitch in heat?"
Her eyes filled with tears of pure humiliation, but she didn't look away.
There was something about her submission that I found useful.
"Please… don't tell anyone," she pleaded, her voice barely a broken whisper as her body continued to tremble from the interrupted orgasm.
"That will depend on how useful you are today," I declared, sliding my hand down her neck with a threatening pressure.
"I heard your father is throwing a banquet for his birthday and that Lucas Wyrne will be attending," I said, stepping closer to the bed. "What do you know about that?"
"That… I don't know much," she stammered, trying in vain to regain her composure. "It seems he sent a letter announcing it. My father didn't seem to take it very well, but he didn't say anything else… I swear."
She didn't seem to be lying; nor did I expect her to know much.
I'd probably have to wait for Adela's report, since I didn't plan to use the Laws for something so trivial. However, seeing her there, broken and humiliated by her own desire, gave me a better idea.
"Since you've been honest, I suppose you deserve a reward," I whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed.
I grabbed her wrists and pulled them above her head, forcing her to expose herself completely to me. Elara let out a sob, but her eyes shone with a need her pride couldn't hide.
"Please… Cassian…" she pleaded, her voice breaking.
"Silence. I decide when you can speak," I declared.
I replaced her hand with mine, applying firm, expert pressure that made her arch her back instantly. The humiliation of being used as a toy was what really turned her on, and I made sure to push her to the limit again and again.
Every time she was about to come, I stopped, forcing her to beg, to verbally grovel for a little relief.
"Say it, Elara. Say who owns this body," I demanded, deliberately increasing the pace.
"Yours… it's yours, Cassian… ah!" she screamed into the pillow, finally losing control when I let the climax hit her with the force of lightning.
Her body shook in violent spasms while I watched her with cruel indifference, like someone watching a writhing insect. I stood up and smoothed my tunic without a hint of agitation.
She looked at me with satisfied desire, like an animal that its owner has treated especially well. For a moment, I met her gaze and considered that, perhaps, it wasn't necessary to break her completely… Her current devotion was already quite useful to me.
She may have touched Margery, but it was just verbal intimidation, I told myself, trying to justify my change of perspective as my opinion of Elara began to shift toward something more… manageable.
I stood up, smoothing out my tunic with a calmness that only served to highlight its sorry state on the bed.
"Don't get used to this treatment, princess," I declared, before turning my back on her. "And the next time something happens that might involve me or the people around me, make sure to let me know immediately."
I left the room without looking back, letting the silence and her own agitation finish breaking what remained of her pride.
I suppose now that I've had a little fun, I can afford to spend five days with people I don't really enjoy, I thought reluctantly.
I brushed the remnants of Elara's fragrance from my tunic and walked toward my room. Monday was just around the corner, and although for the rest of the Academy this was a life-or-death test to climb the hierarchy, for me it was nothing more than an annoying formality. A formality that, if Rose's words were true, might turn out to be interesting.
Oh, and I shouldn't forget about Damian Valois… I thought, as an idea took shape in my mind.
I let out a smile tinged with icy satisfaction. I think someone is going to have the misfortune of encountering a corrupted beast on this school trip. After all, accidents happen.