Chapter 9: The Beast’s Burden - 8
Rin didn’t knock.
She slipped into Kio’s room past midnight, her damp robe clinging to the curve of her ass, the fabric translucent where bathwater soaked through.
She shut the door with a soft click, crossed to him where he stood by the hearth, and let the robe fall, pooling at her feet like a discarded skin.
Kio looked up from the knife he was oiling, the blade glinting in the firelight.
Rin’s body glowed with post-bath heat, her nipples taut, her thighs slick with fresh arousal. Her tail swayed in slow, restless arcs, a silent challenge.
"Last round before I leave," she said, voice low and rough. "I want to feel you when I ride."
Kio set the blade aside, his movements steady, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "You’re still sore."
"Then make it worse."
No ropes this time.
No teasing prelude.
Kio crossed the space in two strides, his hand closing around her throat—not tight, but firm—and bent her over the small table beside the hearth.