Her lips moved away from mine, leaving a chill where warmth had been. The corner of her mouth curved upward, pleased with herself.

"That wasn't your reward," she clarified, her voice dropping to a whisper. "That was just... sampling what you have to offer."

I leaned back, maintaining my composure despite the electricity still humming through my veins. "And what exactly do you think I have to offer, Selene?"

She circled behind my chair, which appeared God knows when, with her fingertips trailing across my shoulders. Each touch felt deliberate, calculated—a predator sizing up prey, but uncertain who was hunting whom.

"Something rare," she replied, her breath warm against my ear. "Clarity. Honesty without pretense. Do you know how refreshing that is? Especially after..."

"After him?" I finished for her.

Her laugh was like broken glass wrapped in silk.

"Yes," she said, continuing her slow orbit around me. "After him. After years of having to validate every pathetic thought in his head, every neurotic fear... do you have any idea what that does to someone like me?"

I watched her movements, tracking her with my eyes but keeping my body still. There was something hypnotic about her presence—something beyond human. The way she moved was too fluid, too perfect, like water flowing over stone worn smooth by centuries.

"I can imagine," I said, maintaining my composure. "Sounds exhausting."

Selene nodded, golden eyes flashing with approval. She moved closer, the fabric of her dress whispering against my legs as she stood over me.

"Exhausting is precisely the word," she murmured. "Like being a star forced to dim its light so it wouldn't overwhelm someone who feared the dark."

She placed her hands on the armrests of my chair, caging me in. The scent of her—something ancient and sweet, like honey aged in darkness—filled my senses. I remained still, refusing to show the effect she had on me.

"Your reward," she continued, her voice a melody that seemed to resonate in my bones, "is something far more valuable than a kiss."

I raised an eyebrow, maintaining my composure. "And what would that be?"

Selene's smile deepened, revealing the edge of teeth too white, too perfect.

"My attention."

The desire in her golden eyes was dangerous.

Not the kind that stemmed from longing, nor the kind that came from admiration.

No.

It was the kind that came fromentertainment.

Like she wastestingme. Like I was just something intriguing, something to amuse her, something to stave off boredom for however long I could manage to keep her interest.

Ihatedthat feeling.

Iloathedit.

I refused to bebelowanyone.

Not her. Not Righteous_One. Not any other so-calledhigher beingthat thought themselves above me.

And yet—

I saw it in her eyes.

Sheknewwhat I was thinking.

Because that, in itself, was hercheat code.

She had read me, read myentire beinglike an open book the moment I stepped into this place.

But she didn't look offended.

She wasn'tangry.

If anything—

She wasamused.

Selene chuckled softly, her lips curving ever so slightly as she continued to hold me captive beneath her gaze.

"You don't like that, do you?" she murmured.

Her fingers trailed along the armrest of my chair, slow and deliberate. "You don't want to be someone'stoy... someone'sdisposable distraction."

I didn't answer.

I didn'tneedto.

Webothknew the truth.

Selene hummed, tilting her head slightly. "I expected as much."

She leaned in, just enough for her breath to ghost over my skin.

"But that's what makes youinteresting," she whispered, her voice laced with amusement. "You're not groveling. You're not trying to charm me. And you're certainlynottrying to bend to my will."

Her golden eyes flickered, sharp and knowing.

"Youhatethe idea of being beneath me."

My lips curled into a smirk. "That's because Iwon't be."

Selene stilled for just a moment—then laughed softly, a low, velvety sound that carried somethingalmostresembling approval.

"Haha..."

Her laughter was soft, sultry—a sound that slithered through the air like silk wrapping around my throat.

"You reallyaresomething else," she murmured, her golden eyes gleaming with intrigue. "I like the way you act."

She took a slow, deliberate step forward.

Then another.

Until she was right in front of me again, close enough that the scent of her—dark, intoxicating,addictive—filled every breath I took.

But just as I moved to shift, to rise, to meet her—

Icouldn't.

My musclesfroze.

Not from fear. Not from hesitation.

Something washoldingme in place.

A force, unseen butundeniable, wrapped around me, pressing me into the chair, locking me down completely.

Selene smirked. "Now, now," she murmured, trailing a finger along my jaw. "You're notaboveme, remember?"

Then—

She leaned in.

And kissed me.

This time, it wasn't just a fleeting touch.

It wasslow, deep, lingering.

Her lips moved against mine with a confidence that bordered ondangerous, teasing,claiming.

Her hands, impossibly soft yet undeniably firm, trailed down my chest, fingertips pressing justlightlyenough to feel like a spark of heat through the fabric of my shirt.

And I—

I stillcouldn't move.

Not my arms. Not my legs.

I couldn't even tilt my head to take more control of the kiss.

Selene wasin control.

And sheknew it.

Her lips curved against mine before she pulled back slightly, just enough to let out a low, pleased chuckle.

"Such a shame," she whispered, brushing her thumb over my lower lip. "You fight so hard to keep yourself from being beneath anyone—"

Her golden eyes burned into mine, her smirk widening.

"—and yet,here you are."

I stared back at her, defiance burning in my gaze despite my immobility. Her smile widened at my silent rebellion, as if it were exactly what she'd hoped for.

"You wear your pride like armor," she whispered, her voice a melody that seemed to dance through the air around us. "But armor can be... removed."

Her hands moved with deliberate slowness, tracing patterns across my shoulders, down my arms. Each touch left a trail of heat that sank beneath my skin, into muscle and bone. I felt my breath catch despite my determination to remain unaffected.

"Fascinating," she murmured, her golden eyes studying my face. "The way you fight against your own responses. The way you try to hide what I can so clearly see."

Her fingers drifted lower, across my chest, drawing invisible symbols that seemed to burn even through the fabric of my shirt. With each touch, the air between us grew heavier, charged with something ancient and primal.

"Your heartbeat betrays you," Selene whispered, splaying her palm flat against my chest. "Such a fragile, human rhythm. So honest."

She circled me again, her movements fluid as moonlight on water. The silver-gold of her dress caught the dim light, reflecting it back in fractured patterns across the walls. Her hand never left my body—trailing across my shoulder blades, following the line of my spine, every touch deliberate and exploratory.

"You think yourself powerful," she continued, her voice like honey dripping into a deep well. "And perhaps you are, in your way. But power comes in many forms."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com