The shadowed hallway was dead silent, only the ragged breathing of the man pinning Zaliyah against the wall could be heard. The scent of sweet lotus blossoms and rain hit Xulthas like an intoxicating poison, drowning out the stench of spiced wine that clung to his own throat.
His eyes, burning with a dangerous light, bored down into the masked figure trapped in his arms.
"You really thought you could hide from me?" Xulthas rasped
Before Zaliyah could even attempt to pull back, Xulthas's broad hand snared the delicate gold chain running over the crown of Zaliyah's head. With a forceful tug, he ripped the veil away.
CLINK.
The gold chainmail slipped free, its cold links sliding against Zaliyah's jawline with a metallic chime before falling uselessly to the stone floor.
The moment the mask came off, Xulthas's breath hitched in his chest. The sight before him was an absolute sensory overload. It was a vision that shattered his composure.
Illuminated only by the dim light of the corridor, Zaliyah's face was fully exposed. His cheeks were flushed with delicate rose powder, his porcelain skin made blindingly fair by the contrast of his sharp, dark eyebrows and the dramatic dark lining his slender violet eyes. But it was his mouth that trapped Xulthas's gaze—his lips painted in a deep, glistening cherry crimson, parted just enough to reveal a sliver of white teeth as he panted softly.
For long, Xulthas simply stared, his mind struggling to process the staggering beauty of the man standing before him.
Then, without warning, the commander snapped.
Sweeping his arm beneath Zaliyah's thighs and cradling his waist, Xulthas lifted him effortlessly off his feet, scooping him up into a bride-carry. Zaliyah gasped in surprise, his instinct kicking in as his arms wrapped around Xulthas's broad naked chest, his hands pressing against the heat of the commander's bare skin.
Xulthas didn't say a word. He turned on his heel, his boots thundering against the floor as he carried Zaliyah through the secluded corridors, ignoring any servants who watched with curiosity and confusion.
Reaching his grand private chambers, Xulthas kicked the doors open, marched inside, and slammed them shut behind him.
The room was vast, bathed in a warm, ambient glow. Xulthas strode straight to the massive, silk-draped bed set in the center of the chamber and laid Zaliyah down upon the mountain of cushions.
Zaliyah bounced slightly against the soft mattress, his skirts swirling around his slender legs like golden mist. He raised himself up on his elbows, his painted eyes tracking Xulthas's every move as the tall commander stepped onto the edge of the bed, crawling over him like a prowling beast.
Xulthas reached out, his calloused fingers sinking directly into the long, dark locks cascading over Zaliyah's shoulders. He lifted a fistful of the black hair, letting the strands glide slowly through his grip. They fell through his fingers like cool, liquid silk, pouring over Zaliyah's chest like dark sand.
A smile playing on his lips as he leaned down close enough for their breath to mingle. "What is this?" I'm I drunk or does your hair look unnaturally dark?"
Zaliyah smiled gently touching Xulthas hands
"I think you're just drunk"
Xulthas laughed"I am drunk not blind Zaliyah"
"Really? I couldn't tell" Zaliyah teased
"As insufferable as ever...What happened to your hair, Did you dye it just to play dress-up for the banquet?"
Zaliyah didn't flinch. He smiled, tilting his chin upward, keeping his gaze locked onto Xulthas's green eyes with an intoxicating mix of defiance and allure.
"You don't like this?" Zaliyah asked softly,
Xulthas's breath caught. "I didn't say that...you just looke so different"
That was the point?..... Zaliyah thought
Slowly, Xulthas raised his hand and caressed the side of Zaliyah's face, his thumb tracing the sharp line of his jaw before moving inward to brush against his soft, painted bottom lip. The dark crimson pigment smeared slightly under the pressure of his calloused skin.
Xulthas pressed his thumb between Zaliyah's lips, gently forcing his mouth open.
Zaliyah did not pull away maintaining eye contact as he allowed Xulthas's thick thumb to slide deep into his mouth, resting over his warm tongue. Zaliyah wrapped his lips around the intruding thumb, sucking it gently, his tongue curling around the commander's skin with slow rhythm.
A jolt of pure heat shot straight through Xulthas's gut. The feeling of Zaliyah's hot, wet tongue working around his thumb while staring at him with such raw temptation sent his pulse into a frenzy. His veins felt like they were filled with liquid fire.
"Urgh..." Xulthas muttered under his breath, his eyes darkening to a shade of near-black. "You're so beautiful Zaliyah....."
Right now, in this maddening moment, Xulthas was in no state of mind to ask logical questions. He didn't care why Zaliyah was dressed in such provocative, skin-baring performance silks. He didn't care why his snow-white hair had been dyed the color of a starless night, nor did he care where or when he had learned to perform such a filthy dance in front of a hall full of howling demons.
None of it mattered. The only thing echoing in Xulthas's fogged, alcohol-laced brain was a ravenous need to completely ravage the man lying beneath him. He needed to feel every inch of that soft skin under his hands.
He needed to mark him, to break him, to feel how intoxicatingly tight and warm it would be to sink himself deep inside his body.
Xulthas pulled his wet thumb from Zaliyah's mouth, leaving a glistened smear of crimson across his chin. He looked at the wet thumb for a few seconds then he leaned down and crashed his mouth onto Zaliyah's.
The kiss was instant chaos. Passionate, deep, wet, and utterly sloppy.
Xulthas claimed Zaliyah's lips with primitive hunger, his tongue plunging deep into his mouth, tasting the lingering sweetness of berry pigment mixed with his hot, wet interior. He devoured him greedily, his head slanting from side to side as he drank in Zaliyah's muffled moans. The sloppy sound of their lips crashing together filled the quiet chamber.
Zaliyah's mind whirled in a daze. Inside his own head, a wave of shock washed over him. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would stoop so low nor did he think Xulthas would easily fall for this "filthy antics"
He has completely lost control, Zaliyah thought, a small, hidden sense of triumph blooming in his chest. A smile touched his mind beneath the heat of the kiss. He must be so drunk...
The realization that his performance had driven the high-and-mighty commander to such a desperate state fueled Zaliyah's ego. He wrapped his arms around Xulthas's neck, tangling his fingers in the commander's messy hair, returning the wet, filthy kiss with equal fervor, his tongue tangling greedily with Xulthas's.
Xulthas began stripping the performance outfit from Zaliyah's body step by step.
His large hands reached down to the gold collar necklace resting over Zaliyah's chest. With impatient fingers, he unclasped the metal clasp at the nape of his neck. The bib of gold filigree clattered loudly against the floor as Xulthas tossed it aside without a second thought.
Next came the sashes. Xulthas grabbed the trailing edges of the royal-blue silk that crisscrossed over Zaliyah's torso. He pulled it, unraveling the tight, binding fabric inch by inch, exposing the smooth, pale expanse of Zaliyah's ribs and slender waist. As the silk peeled away, Xulthas's rough palm skittered over his bare skin, feeling the sharp ridge of his ribs and the heat radiating from his belly.
So smooth..... Xulthas thought
Zaliyah shuddered as the cold air hit his exposed chest, but Xulthas immediately covered him with his own feverish body.
Xulthas lowered his mouth, trailing sloppy, biting kisses down the side of Zaliyah's neck, over his collarbones, down to his chest. His hot mouth hovered over one of the delicate, pink dots on Zaliyah's chest, the very spot the maid had blushed over earlier. Xulthas took the tender peak into his mouth, sucking hard, his teeth grazing the sensitive flesh until Zaliyah arched his back off the bed with a sharp, ragged gasp.
"Xulthas... ah...!" Zaliyah gasped, his long black hair whipping across the white pillows.
Ignoring his cries, Xulthas reached down to the wide gold hip belt. He didn't bother looking for the clasp; with a harsh yank, he tore the belt free, sending a shower of loose gold coins scattering across the bed and bouncing onto the floor.
Finally, Xulthas grabbed the waistband of the yellow chiffon skirt and the white trousers beneath it. He dragged them down Zaliyah's slender legs in one swift motion, stripping him bare before kicking the heap of expensive silks off the edge of the mattress.
The fine clothes, gold jewelry, and torn sashes lay scattered uselessly across the floor like discarded autumn leaves.
Now, Xulthas rose onto his knees, hovering over the bed, his gaze sweeping down over the naked man lying beneath him in the dimly lit room.
What he saw took his breath away, filling him with an overwhelming sense of admiration that bordered on sacred worship.
Zaliyah lay sprawled across the crimson sheets,bare, vulnerable, and breathtaking.
His long, sleek, ink-black hair was spilled across the white pillows like an ocean of dark silk, framing his pale, flushed face and contrasting with his fair, porcelain skin. His chest was heaving with shallow breaths, his pink nipples glistening from Xulthas's saliva.
The dramatic black liner around his eyes was slightly smudged, giving him a wrecked, sensual appearance that drove Xulthas to the brink of madness.
To Xulthas he looked like a fallen deity, brought low and laid bare solely for his pleasure.
Xulthas leaned down, his broad hands framing Zaliyah's waist, his thumbs pressing into the soft indents of his hips as he prepared to claim every single inch of the man beneath him.