Elowen's smirk deepened into something predatory as he assessed me, eyes raking over my trembling form like I was a prize on display. "You're looking too good for your own good, Your Majesty—those silks clinging just right, every curve begging to be unwrapped."
I looked away sharply, clenching my hands into fists until my knuckles whitened, head lowering as hot tears welled in my eyes, spilling over to trace salty paths down my flushed cheeks.
"Why are you doing this to me? After everything—your oaths, your loyalty—how can you stand there and let him twist you like this?"
Merol shifted uneasily, his broad shoulders slumping under the weight of my gaze, brown eyes swirling with guilt and that damning hunger he couldn't hide. "Your Majesty, I... I am... I can't help you. My mind is screaming a thousand things—duty, desire, madness—but I can't pull away. Not from this. Not from you looking like that."
