Roy ignored Athena's half-hearted protest, his arms tightening around her as he carried her toward the low couch near the chamber's flickering braziers. The warmth of the flames cast dancing shadows across her bare skin, painting her in gold and amber, every curve illuminated like sacred scripture. Her breath hitched as he laid her down, his fingers tracing the delicate slope of her collarbone.
Athena's chest rose and fell rapidly, her earlier bravado crumbling under the weight of his touch.
"You—you are insufferable," she muttered, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her. Her nails dug into the cushions, her thighs pressing together instinctively as Roy leaned over her, his breath hot against her throat.
"I know," he murmured, nipping at the pulse point beneath her jaw. "But you chose this insufferable man to impart your wisdom upon. Surely the goddess of strategy doesn't make poor decisions?"
She scoffed, but the sound dissolved into a gasp as his hand slid down her stomach, fingers skimming the dip of her navel before venturing lower. Her back arched off the couch, her silver hair fanning out like spilled moonlight. "T-This isn't—ah!—imparting knowledge—!"
Roy chuckled, the vibration of his laughter against her skin making her shiver. "Isn't it?" He pressed a kiss to the inside of her knee, his tongue following the tense line of her muscle. "I'm learning plenty."
Athena's retort died on her lips as his mouth found the apex of her thighs, her fingers tangling in his hair with a mix of desperation and indignation.
"Roy—wait—" Her plea was half-hearted, her hips lifting toward him even as she protested.
He licked into her slowly, savoring the way her breath fractured, the way her thighs trembled around his shoulders. Every soft noise she made was a victory, every shudder a testament to his tenderness. When her climax crashed over her, she bit down on her own wrist to muffle her cry, her body bowing taut as a drawn bowstring.
Roy pulled back, licking his lips with deliberate slowness, watching her come undone with dark satisfaction. "Still think this is filthy?"
Athena glared up at him through hooded eyes, her chest heaving. "You are deplorable," she panted, but there was no venom in it—only breathless wonder.
"And yet," Roy murmured, crawling up her body to capture her mouth, letting her taste herself on his tongue, "you're still here."
She moaned into the kiss, her arms looping around his neck to drag him closer. Her nails scored down his back, urging him on as he settled between her legs, his arousal pressing insistently against her. The friction drew a whimper from her lips, her hips canting up instinctively.
Roy groaned, his forehead dropping to hers. "Athena," he breathed, his voice rough with want, "tell me you're sure."
She cupped his face, her night-dark eyes blazing with defiance and desire. "I am Athena," she whispered fiercely. "I do not yield. I choose."
That was all the permission he needed.
He sheathed himself inside her in one slow, relentless thrust, her tight heat enveloping him like a prayer. Athena gasped, her nails biting into his shoulders, her body stretching to accommodate him. For a moment, they both stilled, breathing raggedly against each other's lips, the weight of what they were doing settling over them like a sacred vow.
Then Roy moved, and the world shattered.
Athena's head fell back, a broken cry escaping her as he set a punishing pace, each thrust driving her higher, unraveling her carefully constructed control. She had wielded swords and strategies, had faced gods and monsters without flinching—but this? This was annihilation.
Roy worshipped her with his body, his hands roaming her skin as if memorizing every inch. He kissed the sweat-slick hollow of her throat, the swell of her breast. "You're magnificent," he growled, his hips snapping forward, drawing another choked moan from her lips.
Athena's legs locked around his waist, her heels digging into the small of his back as she met him thrust for thrust. The couch creaked beneath them, the air thick with the scent of sex and salt and her. Her fingers twisted in his hair, dragging his mouth back to hers in a searing kiss, their teeth clashing in their desperation.
"Roy—Roy—" His name was a plea and a command on her tongue, her body coiling tighter, teetering on the edge.
He knew what she needed. His hand slid between them, his thumb circling her clit with ruthless precision. "Come for me," he demanded, his voice raw. "Let me see you fall apart."
Athena's climax hit her like a lightning strike, her back arching off the couch as she cried out, her walls fluttering around him in rhythmic pulses. Roy followed her over the edge with a groan, his hips stuttering as he spilled inside her, his forehead pressed to her shoulder as he rode out the waves of pleasure.
For a long moment, the only sound in the chamber was their ragged breathing. Then Athena exhaled a shaky laugh, her fingers tracing idle patterns on his damp back. "So this is the wisdom you sought?"
Roy lifted his head, grinning down at her with smug satisfaction. "Oh, goddess," he murmured, brushing a kiss to her swollen lips, "this was just the first lesson."
Athena's eyes narrowed, but the spark of challenge in them was unmistakable. "Then you'd best prepare yourself, scholar," she said, rolling them over in one fluid motion, her silver hair cascading around them like a veil. "War has only just begun."
Roy's laughter was cut short as her mouth descended on his, and the night burned on.
***
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