It started with a whisper.
Just a few murmurs in the lower halls of the garrison. A strange shift in formation during sparring practice. Guards who never used to talk suddenly meeting in quiet corners. Vilo's army was tight—well-disciplined, obedient, fearsome—but no army is perfect. Especially not one commanded by a queen who ruled more with power than trust.
I didn't want to believe it at first.
But I heard them.
Heard the words.
Heard the plan.
I told her the moment I confirmed it.
She didn't react with anger. No flare of power. No explosion. Just a calm, terrifying nod.
"Thank you," she said.
And then she vanished.
By sundown, the entire traitor cell—seven elite soldiers, all former nobles—had been executed. No spectacle. No mess. Their names were gone from the ledgers. Their uniforms burned. Even their ashes were erased.
When she returned to our chambers, she looked… calm.
Peaceful, even.
Like she'd gone for a short walk, not a purge.
I stood there, unsure of what to say.
"Is it done?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Can I leave now?"
"Not yet."
I blinked. "What?"
She walked past me, hands behind her back, wings tucked neatly. "You're owed a reward."
"I didn't do it for a reward."
"Nonetheless." She turned, her gaze heavy. "You showed loyalty. I reward loyalty."
I swallowed.
"Well… if you insist…"
She raised an eyebrow, expecting something regal. Some request for gold or favor or power.
But I, brilliant as ever, opened my mouth and said:
"…Can I be wrapped up in your tail?"
Silence.
Complete silence.
She didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
Her face was a marble sculpture—expressionless, perfect, unreadable.
Then, the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth.
I couldn't tell if she was about to laugh or behead me.
"…You want what?" she asked.
I hesitated. "Y-your tail. Just—wrap me up in it."
"Why?"
"I—I think it would feel… nice?"
More silence.
She stared like I'd just asked her to juggle flaming wyverns.
But when I didn't take it back—when I met her gaze and nodded again, heart hammering—she exhaled softly.
"Fine."
Her tail unfurled behind her with a slow rustle, long and silver-scaled, tipped in soft barbs of white. It flicked once—graceful, serpentine—then slid toward me with silent intent.
"Lie down."
I did.
Nervously. On my back. Hands at my sides like I was waiting for a full-body curse.
She stood over me, unreadable as ever.
Then her tail coiled gently around one of my legs.
Then the other.
Then my hips.
Then my torso.
Warm. Smooth. Strong.
I felt myself being lifted slightly off the ground, cradled, squeezed, held.
Wrapped.
All the way to my shoulders, her tail looped and knotted like a silken vine until only my head was free. I couldn't move—only breathe, stare up at her, and feel the warmth of her magic pulsing through every inch of her.
She looked down at me.
"Well?" she asked. "Do you like it?"
I flushed, nodding quickly. "Y-Yeah."
She tilted her head.
"You're weird."
"I know."
"You could've asked for anything."
"I did."
She gave a low, quiet hum. Not quite a chuckle. Not quite annoyed.
Then she leaned forward slowly, kneeling beside the bundle of me she'd made.
Her lips were just inches from mine when she whispered:
"You should've asked for sex."
I froze.
My brain stopped.
"W-What?"
She pouted, her brows furrowing. "You never ask."
"Because I didn't think I was supposed to!"
"You're my consort. It's your right."
I stammered. "But you always said I was fragile!"
"You are."
"Then—!"
"That's why I want you to ask."
I blinked, still trapped in coils, utterly helpless.
She narrowed her eyes. "Am I not desirable?"
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
"Then why not ask?"
"I didn't want to be disrespectful!"
She let out a quiet, frustrated noise.
Then her tail tightened slightly—not painfully, just enough to make my breath hitch.
"You asked me to wrap you up," she said flatly. "But not to touch you. Not to claim you. You ask to be held but not to be had."
My face was hot enough to melt stone.
"I—I didn't think you'd want that—"
Her claws rested lightly on my chest.
Her tail squeezed again.
"I always want it," she said, voice low. "I want you."
My mouth opened.
No words came out.
She leaned in.
Pressed a kiss to the corner of my jaw.
Then the other.
Then down to my throat.
"Next time you want something from me," she murmured, "you'll ask for all of me."
I couldn't breathe.
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
"Good." She sat back, still straddling me with her tail. "Now relax. You're not leaving until I say so."
And with that, she rested her head on my chest—still wrapped around me like a possessive python—and exhaled.
"Strange little creature," she muttered.
"Soft dragon queen," I whispered back.
She didn't move.
Didn't loosen.
Just smiled.