“I’d like to see more of you,” Rook said in that raspy lilt. “Turn around.”

  Lumi obeyed. Not from submission, but from the aching need to mask the blush rising to her cheeks.

  Magnificent, he had called her.

  The sloop swayed on the inky waves, but it wasn’t the sea that left her unbalanced—it was him. His proximity, the heat he radiated, the feral energy barely contained beneath his skin.

  Sparks burst along her scalp as his fingers slid through her hair. The coarse touch ignited an unwelcome thrill. Her pulse thundered in her ears like a storm.

  Lumi wasn’t accustomed to receiving compliments. Praise was a foreign concept, and trying to figure out how to react to it was beyond tedious.

  Last night he called her beautiful. Now she was magnificent?

  Suspicion swirled through her as he began tugging at the strings of her corset. What was the purpose of his flattery? Why waste his time when he could just as easily take her by force. She was already his, wasn’t she? Not by choice, but by circumstance.

  The strings gave way, and her mind flitted to the blade she left beneath his pillow. A cruel irony that it was now out of reach. Dread prickled up her throat.

  He had killed with that hand. The one at her back, deftly unraveling silk and lace. Those eyes, burning into her from behind, had witnessed atrocities.

  A predator stood behind her. A conqueror of oceans. A ruler of seas. Stripping her of her last line of defense.

  And yet, she wasn’t afraid.

  Alive. That’s what she felt. A maddening current surged beneath her skin. Her nipples hardened, her flesh hummed.

  “Rook.” His name fell from her tongue in a husky whisper. She wasn’t certain what she meant to say. Ask him to stop? To go faster? To touch her already?

  He went still behind her. The hand poised at the small of her back frozen in place. Then she felt him inch impossibly closer. His forehead brushed the crown of her head.

  “My name,” he murmured, softer now. “Say it again.”

  “W-what?”

  “Say it.”

  Her lips parted, “Rook.”

  She heard his quick intake of breath, “Again.”

  “Rook.”

  She turned her head slightly, enough to catch a glimpse of him. His expression wasn’t what she expected. His usual arrogant exterior slipped, leaving something raw, almost vulnerable in its place.

  “What’s the matter?” her voice came out sharper than she intended, “Not used to hearing your name? Do you prefer Sir? Emperor? Your majesty?” A bitter smile curved her lips, “Pirate-slayer, perhaps?”

  “Say it again,” he repeated, quieter now, almost pleading.

  A blush colored her cheeks.

  Softer now, “Rook.”

  The corset fell from her shoulders. She watched it pool at her feet in a whisper of silk and lace. Lumi’s chest heaved. Her breaths left her in uneven pants. All that remained was the thin fabric of her dress.

  She felt his fingers toying with the straps at her shoulders. One slipped free, then the other, and the dress cascaded down her body to join the corset on the floor. With the weight of it gone, she felt exposed in a way she never had before. Only her panties remained, the tiny stretch of fabric that covered her most intimate part.

  “Turn around,” Rook ordered.

  A shudder ran through her. His command left no room for argument, but her feet refused to cooperate. They remained rooted in place, and the silence stretched.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  She felt him step closer. His warmth cascaded over her back, seeped into her skin. Her knees threatened to buckle, trembling beneath a sudden onslaught of emotions she couldn’t name.

  In three years she had lost so much of herself. The slums took everything from her, stripped her of her humanity, little by little. Her body was the one thing that remained her own. Now, stripped bare before him, the last fragments of her autonomy were crumbling.

  A strange, unfamiliar emotion clawed its way up her throat. Her chest ached, and her eyes burned. She tried to hold back, but a drop of moisture escaped. A single, traitorous tear that trailed hot and humiliating down her cheek.

  She swiped it away, but not fast enough.

  “Lumi.” Rook’s voice was quieter now. Tender, but still laced with the rough edge that made her insides twist.

  Fingers brushed her shoulders as he slid her hair aside. The strands fell away to reveal the curve of her neck. His calloused touch stroked over her skin with an intimacy that made her heart hammer into her ribcage.

  “You’re trembling,” he murmured.

  “I’m not.” But the crack in her voice betrayed her.

  His hand lingered at her neck, thumb grazing her flesh with a maddening slowness. “You are.”

  She tried to soothe the storm raging within her. She couldn’t fall apart. Not here. Not now. After tonight, she could crumble. She could scream and sob until her throat was raw and her eyes were red. But not here.

  Not in his presence.

  Control yourself, Lumi. The serpentine voice dripped with disdain. Do not let him see your weaknesses.

  But she couldn’t stop.

  Rook’s arm wrapped around her front, pulling her flush against him. His lips pressed into her cheek, where the salty trail lingered. She felt him frown against her skin.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I—I don’t know,” she admitted. The fragility in her voice disgusted her, but she couldn’t choke it back.

  His heat radiated through her, the rhythm of his breathing steady against her back. Moisture lapped softly at their feet as she struggled to collect herself.

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  The question sliced through the haze of her thoughts. It wasn’t something she expected—not from any man, certainly not from him. A payment had been made in exchange for her body. How she felt about it should not matter. And yet, he stood behind her, awaiting her response.

  “I don’t know.”

  The words hung in the air between them, raw and true. His touch stirred something in her—an aching mix of want and shame. But also something else. Something tumultuous. Something uncomfortable.

  He remained at her back, his presence a steady tether to reality.

  “Let me wash you.”

  It wasn’t a question, but it wasn’t a command either. She could hear the uncertainty in his tone. And she knew he would respect whatever decision she made.

  “I already bathed,” she managed, her teeth grinding in a futile effort to hold back the tears threatening to spill.

  “I don’t mind.”

  She hesitated, then nodded.

  Taking her hand, Rook led her to the tub. The surface rippled, reflecting flickers of candlelight. He stepped in first, and gracefully sank into the depths. Then he helped her follow.

  All at once, she was enveloped in the sweltering water. She sank back against him, allowing the heat to coax the tension from her muscles. Her pulse spiked at the sensation of his bare chest against her spine.

  Rook worked in silence. A bar of soap moved over her skin, followed by his large palm. His touch traveling over her shoulders, down her back, along the expanse of her arms.

  The intimacy of his touch was unbearable. Tears spilled, hot and unwelcome. At first, they fell in silence, but soon her body betrayed her, sobs wracking her thin frame.

  “Why do you weep?” Rook never ceased his careful strokes along her flesh.

  “I don’t know.” And she didn’t. Her hands flew to her face in a futile attempt to hide her own unraveling.

  Rook moved her effortlessly, shifting her until she straddled him. The water sloshed between them as he took her wrists and pulled her hands from her face. His gaze bore into her, dark and searching.

  “It’s alright,” he soothed, releasing her wrists and running his hand along her back, “Everything will be alright.”

  All she could do was shake her head as she sniveled and sobbed.

  “Shh.” He released her wrists, his fingers tangling in her wet hair as he brought her into him. “It’s alright, Lumi. Let it all out.”

  He rubbed circles into her back as she wept in his arms. Every once in a while he would say something like, “Good girl.” Or “You’re such a sweet girl.” And it only made her fall apart faster.

  “No,” she choked out, her voice raw, “I’m not.”

  “I see you, Lumi,” he murmured, “The real you. There’s no need to hide.”

  His words—soft, tender—cut deeper than any cruelty ever could. Men like him weren’t supposed to speak with kindness. Men like him weren’t supposed to care. And yet, he did.

  “I wouldn’t dream of making you do something you weren’t ready for,” he rasped in her ear as he pet her hair, “I hope that’s not the reason you’re upset.”

  They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. Her tears eventually quieted to shuddering breaths. When her trembling ceased, he resumed his work. His hands roamed over her body with infuriating patience. His touch was firm as he washed her chest, her stomach, her legs. Then, without hesitation, he brought the soap between her thighs. She inhaled sharply as he brushed the damp cloth of her undergarment aside as though he owned her entirely.

  When he was done, he lifted her as if she weighed nothing. He wrapped her in a towel, the coarse fabric dragging against her still-sensitive flesh. He carried her to the bed, laying her down, pulling her into his chest.

  His arm was a protective cage around her, and for the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt…safe.

  As his fingers combed through her damp hair, the weight of the night pulled her towards sleep. Just before the darkness claimed her, his voice broke through.

  “Where did you come from?”

  The question hung in the air, unanswered. Slumber finally took her.

  a/n: if you liked this chapter, don't forget to leave me some love in the comments (:

  chapter 40 just went up on patreon: lumi has to fight to the death in an arena.

  im obsessed with where this story is going and I hope you're liking it too.

  happy weekend <3