Theron carried me into his private chambers.

He dropped me onto the bed, and my body turned soft and inviting as he looked down at me with a heat that made my stomach twist.

I swallowed my disgust and forced a coy smile. "No, we can't do it here…"

He laughed, caught my chin between his fingers, and tipped my face up. "Why not here? I want to have you now."

He leaned in and loosened the ties of my dress. Silk slid away, and the cool air found my skin. His gaze hardly moved from me.

"You look so slim, yet you're surprisingly curvy," he murmured.

I let color rise to my cheeks, playing shy even as my pulse raced.

His gaze lingered on me, and it looked as if he was barely holding himself back.

"I want you now. Are you afraid?" he asked.

"I.. I'm not," I said, though my eyes glistened with unshed tears.

The contradiction only seemed to please him, and he laughed again.

In the palace, most were crude beastwomen or timid human maidens who cowered when they saw him. I was different, and that made me far more interesting to him.

"You're different. I like that," he whispered.

With that, he stripped off my clothes and shed his own right after.

I caught a glimpse that made my breath hitch. I had seen beastmen's packages before, but I never expected Theron to have two!

"Still not afraid?" he asked, his eyes fixed on me.

I took a deep breath and said, "No."

Curiosity outweighed fear, and I reached out to see if what I saw was real.

Theron couldn't help but curve his lips when he saw this.

The other women had fainted the moment they saw him bare, before he even touched them. I was the only one who hadn't collapsed, bold enough to reach out and touch him.

His hands closed over my shoulders and pressed me back into the sheets. "You're playing with fire…"