The pale morning light was a weak glow, just enough to outline the shapes in the room. Auren sat up on his bed, rubbing the lingering haze from his eyes. Across from him, Riven was already stirring, stretching his arms and muttering something under his breath.
"Get up," Auren said flatly, his voice carrying that edge that meant it wasn't a suggestion. "Go get us something to eat. I need to have… a little conversation with Lyara while you're gone."
Riven swung his legs over the side of the bed, yawning. "Yeah, yeah. I'll grab something from the market—"
"Hold on." Auren's eyes narrowed, catching a glint of metal against Riven's chest. "That pendant… When I first told you about coming here from our village, you weren't wearing it. But the first day of our journey, it suddenly appeared. Where the hell did it come from?"
Riven glanced down at the blackened, almost oily-looking trinket hanging around his neck. The edges seemed to shimmer faintly, like shadows curling just beneath its surface. "I told you before. My grandmother gave it to me. Said it's… a protective charm or something."
Auren smirked, leaning back against the wall. "Protective charm, huh? Cute. If you're strong enough, you don't need to hang useless shit around your neck like a scared child."
Riven shot him a sharp look. "Yeah? Well, fuck you, Auren. Not everyone's a cold bastard who thinks they're untouchable."
Auren chuckled low, his gaze lingering on the pendant. He wasn't laughing at the insult—his mind was elsewhere. That pendant… the way the shadows pulsed faintly under the morning light. He'd seen something similar in one of his father's old journals, a crude sketch marked 'Seal of the Depths'. If it was what he thought… that trinket might be more than just a good luck charm. It might be a key. A very big key.
"Fine," Riven muttered, shoving the conversation away and heading for the door. "I'll get the damn food."
The door closed behind him.
Auren's eyes turned toward the other room. His voice in his mind sharpened like a blade.
"Lyara… come here."
The command wasn't spoken aloud—it slithered directly into her head, laced with the irresistible pull of his Obedience Seal. Within moments, the soft shuffle of bare feet moved down the hallway. She stepped into his room, eyes slightly glazed, every motion quiet and controlled.
"Good girl," Auren murmured, the shadow of a smile playing across his lips.
Outside, the city bustled with noise, but in here, the air was heavy. The pendant's faint shadow still lingered in his thoughts. Whatever power it held, whatever connection it had to his father—it wasn't staying around Riven's neck forever.
"Lyara," he murmured, his voice a deep rumble that sent shivers down her spine. He didn't move, but his hand lazily drifted to his crotch, fingers rubbing slow circles over the hard ridge of his dick through the thin material.
The motion was deliberate, teasing, drawing her gaze like a magnet. "I've been thinking about you all night. Dreaming of that pretty mouth of yours wrapped around me first thing in the morning."
She stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind her, sealing her fate. Her cheeks flushed, a mix of humiliation and heat pooling between her thighs.
"Master Auren," she whispered, her voice trembling. She was his sex doll, nothing more-a vessel for his pleasures, conditioned to crave his commands even as they degraded her. The bond ensured it; resistance was futile, pleasure inevitable.
"Come closer," he ordered, his hand pressing harder against his erection, the fabric tenting obscenely. "I want morning oral sex. Right now. On your knees, like the good little slut you are."
Lyara's legs moved of their own accord, drawn by the invisible leash. She approached the bed, her gown slipping slightly off one shoulder, exposing the swell of her breast.
The room felt darker now, the shadows clinging to the corners, mirroring the twisted desires that fueled him. Auren's eyes darkened with lust, his rubbing growing more insistent, the outline of his thick cock clear and throbbing.
"That's it," he growled. "Crawl to me. Show me how eager you are to serve."
Humiliation burned in her chest, but so did desire. She dropped to her hands and knees, the cold stone floor biting into her skin as she crawled the last few feet, her heavy breasts swaying with each movement.
When she reached the edge of the bed, she rose slightly, her face level with his lap. His hand didn't stop, stroking himself through the pants, the friction making him hiss softly.
"Unzip me," he commanded. "But slowly. Tease me like you mean it."
Her fingers trembled as they reached for his zipper, the metal cool against her skin. She pulled it down inch by inch, the sound echoing in the quiet room. His cock sprang free, hard and veined, the head already glistening with pre-cum.
It was massive, intimidating, a weapon he wielded with expert cruelty. Lyara's mouth watered despite herself, the bond flooding her with artificial hunger.
"Look at it," Auren said, his voice low and menacing. "This is what you live for. Now, worship it."
She leaned in, her breath hot against his shaft. Her lips brushed the tip first, a soft kiss that made him groan. "Mmm," she murmured, the sound involuntary.
Her tongue darted out, licking the salty bead from the slit, savoring the taste that marked her submission. Auren's hand tangled in her hair, not guiding yet, just holding her in place.
"Deeper," he demanded. "Take it all, you filthy doll."
Lyara opened her mouth wider, enveloping the head, her tongue swirling around it in slow, deliberate circles. She sucked gently at first, her cheeks hollowing as she drew him in further.
"Aaah??" she moaned around him, the vibration sending jolts up his spine. His hips bucked slightly, pushing more into her warmth.
Fuck, yes, " Auren grunted, his free hand still rubbing the base where her mouth couldn't reach yet. "Suck harder.
Make it sloppy."