It started with a glance.
Maybe a second too long. Maybe half that. But Vilo saw it—of course she did. She always saw. Her senses, sharp as her claws, missed nothing. I'd been watching her tail all morning, mesmerized by the way it swayed behind her as she paced the chamber, tense from another council meeting filled with groveling nobles and veiled threats.
It wasn't just how it moved. It was how she moved it.
Each flick, each curl, each slow, calculated swing—it was like watching a living whip made of silver and muscle. When she walked, it flowed behind her like royalty. When she turned sharply, it coiled like a question mark. And when she was angry… gods, it struck like lightning.
I hadn't meant to stare.
But I did.
Too long.
She stopped mid-step.
Her back still turned to me.
"You've been watching," she said flatly.
My heart stuttered.
"I—uh—"
"Say it."
"Watching your… tail."
She turned, slowly, her golden eyes narrowing like twin blades of polished gold. Her expression unreadable. Regal. Dangerous.
She stepped forward.
One slow, deliberate heel after the other.
I didn't move.
She stopped right in front of me. Close enough to feel the warmth of her breath. Her chest rose slowly beneath her formal robe—thick velvet lined with silver, tight at the waist and loose at the shoulders, just low enough to tease her curves.
"You want to touch it?" she asked quietly.
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.
Her tail slid up from behind.
It wrapped once around my ankle.
Then my thigh.
Then my waist.
Then—
Around my neck.
Not tight.
Not choking.
But firm.
Commanding.
She leaned forward, lips near my ear.
"Then learn how."
I barely had time to gasp before she yanked.
The world tilted.
I stumbled forward, landing hard against her chest. She'd already sat down—when, I had no idea—and I found myself suddenly straddling her lap, her strong thighs pressing against mine, her hands on my hips.
Her tail coiled once more.
Then she placed it in my hands.
"Base to tip," she instructed, voice like silk over steel.
I hesitated.
"Now."
I obeyed.
I ran my fingers along the base—thicker, heavier, a powerful muscle flexing under my palms. She didn't react at first. Just watched me with that impassive stare, her chin high, her wings slightly spread behind the chair.
"Slower."
I did it again, more deliberate.
Her eyes flickered.
"Too much pressure."
I lightened my touch.
Her breath caught—barely audible.
"Better."
She shifted slightly beneath me, her thighs adjusting, the robe bunching just enough that I felt the warmth of her skin beneath the fabric. Her claws, resting lightly on my hips, tensed with each stroke.
"Use both hands," she whispered.
I obeyed again.
I let my hands glide down the length of her tail, feeling the shifts in texture—smooth, then scale, then soft again near the tip. Every time I hit a sensitive spot, she twitched subtly beneath me. Her chest would rise sharper. Her thighs would tighten.
"You missed a ridge."
"I didn't—"
She grabbed my wrist and guided my fingers back.
"There. That line. Again."
I did it.
Her eyes half-lidded. Her lips parted.
But she never lost composure.
Even as her tail trembled in my grip.
Even as her claws dug slightly into my sides.
Even as I felt the soft swell of her breasts against my chest, rising and falling faster now.
"You're learning," she whispered against my ear, her voice cold, almost clinical. "But not fast enough."
I swallowed hard.
She pressed her forehead to mine, her golden eyes locked on mine from inches away. Her tail flexed in my hands, curling around my wrists now like it didn't want to let go.
"Keep going."
I obeyed. Again.
The tip of her tail twitched with each pass. Her thighs shifted beneath me, strong and warm and tense. I could feel every inch of her—the curve of her hips, the tightness of her stomach, the tension in her arms.
She was breathing harder.
Still silent.
Still composed.
But she was feeling it.
And she hated letting it show.
So she hid it behind orders. Cold ones. Precise ones.
"Firmer."
"Smoother."
"Up. Now down. Slower."
Her voice cracked once. Barely.
Her tail wrapped tighter around my waist like a snake refusing to let go. I felt the shift in her core, her whole body reacting to every pass of my hands down that sensitive appendage.
Then she gripped my jaw, tilted it up, and locked her eyes on mine.
"You'll do this again tomorrow," she said lowly.
I nodded.
"On your knees," she added, colder now. Commanding. Possessive.
I couldn't look away.
And even if I could…
Her tail wouldn't let me.