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The Council began to shout. Again. No, not to shout. They didn’t scream. They were passive-aggressive. They raised their voices enough to make themselves heard. They tried to look outraged and made arrogant gestures. All at the same time. Ben closed his eyes to control his mood. The Council was incredibly kind until they were reminded of their responsibilities for the suffering of a lifetime that the villains' children had lived. Because, although his father had decided to transform the Island of the Lost in a prison, it was the Council who supported him and controlled supplies and other things. They were responsible for the excess of alcohol and weapons on the Island, for not giving fresh food or the lack of medicine. The people of the kingdom he inherited from his father were good to look like heroes, but they could never admit their guilt.
He watched Uma. She leaned her back against the back of her chair and looked up. In all the meetings she attended, there was Harry. Always standing behind her, with his hands on Uma's shoulders. No matter how many times he offered the pirate a seat, he preferred to stay behind his captain and do that.
Uma and Harry had a secret language, full of looks and physical contact. Ben had been watching. Harry slid his hook over Uma's arm to give her his support. He moved his fingers as if he played the piano on her shoulder to calm her. Little details. That perfect intimacy was enviable. Ben had never had that with anyone. Friend or partner.
"I need you to calm down." He spoke in a firm voice. “I am not dealing with children. If not, I will order that you have to raise your hand if you want to talk and wait for your turn.”
Harry leaned down to whisper something to Uma. She smiled and looked at Ben as if the three of them shared a joke.
But the Council spoke again, outraged by the comparison. As a rule, Ben was good at diplomacy and knew how to deal with all those unnecessary protocols. But even he was getting impatient. He wanted solutions. No discussions about measures and protocols.
He could feel his back tense, his head ached from the way he was holding back so he wouldn't growl. In the back of his mind, he could feel that inner beast he had been controlling quite well so far. But stress and frustration made him want to destroy and bite. Sometimes his senses sharpened as if he wanted to hunt something or protect his territory.
Maybe Mal had been right in the last conversation they had before she went to find her own destiny. Auradon didn't need a dragon as protection. They already had him. Maybe he should stop running away from himself.
Ben took a deep breath, ready to raise his voice. But he stopped.
Uma started singing. A siren song that silenced all the people around him and he felt the music, without lyrics, relax every part of his body. His eyes fixed on Uma, in the way she maintained the soft tone, using her nature magic to intoxicate the Council. Harry fell to his knees beside her, watching her with adoration. And he understood well the reaction. Because it was incredibly tempting for him to get under her spell so submissively and look for some of her connection.
She closed her full lips and the place fell silent. Her power continued to vibrate in the environment, electrifying him. Uma looked at Harry.
"Why don't you take the Council for a walk on the Island?" She observed at the rest of the people at the table, except Ben. "A little History lesson."
The Council nodded, still under her power.
"The pirates are the best at telling stories." Uma took Harry's chin. "Bring them in one piece."
"You never let me have fun." The pirate responded with a smile and rose theatrically "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your interactive lesson on the scum that you really are."
Harry used his hook to guide each member of the Council out of the room. When everyone was outside, Harry looked at him with a knowing smile and closed the doors.
"Thank you." Ben looked at her. "I…"
"You're still learning." Uma got up and sat in front of him, on the table. "It's not easy being a leader, but you have the right intentions."
He looked down. That wasn’t enough. Ben had to fix all the problems that existed and create a safe kingdom. For all. Uma had helped him countless times to point him where to aim or what to do. She was the leader that Auradon needed. Not him. Sometimes he believed that if his father had been elected to reign, maybe he should do something similar. Because Uma would surely win, and he would support her. Because-
Her fingers slid down his hair, from his forehead to his neck. Ben felt his mind relax completely. Uma laughed and moved her fingers in circles against the base of his neck. His body leaned forward and before he thought about it, he hugged her bare thigh. He buried his face against the refreshing skin and took a deep breath. Uma’s scent turning off his brain and he forgot everything.
From the first time he had seen Uma touch Harry's hair and the effect she had on him; Ben wondered if it was nature magic. Something that not even the barrier could destroy. Uma was a force of nature, with the ability to make herself heard and lead. She not only had the song of a siren. She always seemed capable of enchanting people. But her fingers always caught his attention. Her fine, delicate and skillful fingers seemed to be the source of much more magic. Because when she touched someone in her crew, they melted. But she just touched Harry's hair and the pirate lost all reason. Since the barrier had come down and Uma started working with him, Ben had been able to see her fondle Harry countless times and the effect her touch had on the pirate.
Ben had been curious.
Ben had been tempted to ask Uma to touch him. Even if it was once.
Now he was sure that Uma was naturally magical. Because he would never have done something like that with someone who he wasn't even sure was his friend.
"You're still tense." Uma muttered. “The only thing that should matter to you is this moment.” She spoke surprisingly soft and calm. “There is no past or future. There is no logic or common sense.” Uma slipped her fingernails over his skin “That's it… just focus on me.”
That made sense. Uma liked to be looked at, to be the center of attention. So, it made sense that being under her spell caused her to become the center of the universe. Ben took a deep breath, feeling her skin bristling. At that time, it didn't sound bad that everything disappeared except her and whatever was happening between them.
"Do you want to bite my thigh to destress?"
He looked up, still drunk with her touch, her temperature, and aroma. His reason and logic had disappeared somewhere, and he wasn't sure he wanted them back. At that time, he was extremely aware of the way she was dressed. Uma wore a turquoise blouse that showed her shoulders, a sapphire vest adjusting to her waist and hips, a turquoise miniskirt and leather ankle boots with embedded jewels. Ben kept his eyes down, aware of how easy it would be for him to look between her legs and under her skirt. But Uma didn’t flinch. She kept the soft caress in his hair, unraveling his thoughts.
"I don't want to hurt you." He whispered.
To his surprise, those words sounded different and he could tell that his teeth had sharpened. Uma took him by the chin to look at him and she parted her lips like a silent order for him to imitate her. Ben did it and she smiled.
“There are those fangs. I had missed them.”
Mal hadn’t thought the same. Deep down, he had felt Mal hoped that he kept pure and perfect, the image worthy of a prince and a king. Ben, on the other hand, had found his fangs fascinating, he had felt connected to something that made him more like many on the Island. Something instinctive and wild. After meeting other young people on the Island, he had felt that his nature had a place to belong. With them.
Uma slid her thumb over his fangs and smiled with approval. He could remember the first time she saw his fangs. Ben could swear that Uma had looked interested in him and the gesture that Uma had used at the time to refer to his fangs had been provocative.
He closed his eyes when she stroked the shape of his lips. A growl drowned in his throat.
"Sometimes it is necessary to vent the frustration with a calculated act of consensual violence." Uma whispered before releasing his face.
But she kept her other hand in his hair, stroking his neck and guiding him until he felt his lips against her soft thigh. He looked up and felt like an exile in front of a Goddess who had decided to appear in front of his presence. Uma smiled and rested her other leg on his shoulder, trapping him between her thighs.
"Besides, I like bites." She confessed with delight.
Uma must have nature magical, a siren song capable of achieving the impossible. That was the only explanation for those simple words to untie the belt that had been holding his instincts. He took a deep breath and got drunk with the softness of her skin. Ben looked at her, opening his mouth slowly, showing his fangs. If Uma said to stop, he would do it, that's why he was at such an easy pace. But she nodded and he bit her skin. Uma arched her back and gasped hard. The sound that came out of her mouth reminded him of breaking waves, intense at the beginning and like a sigh at the end. She closed her thighs against his face, and he hugged her legs. He didn’t seek to hurt her. But some of the frustration he had accumulated disappeared when he felt the throbbing skin between his teeth and against his tongue.
"More..." Uma ordered breathlessly.
He bit harder. Ben felt his fangs pierce the soft skin and the slight taste of blood reached his tongue. Ben sighed and relaxed completely against her. Uma hooked her ankles on his back and stuck her heels over his spine. She lay on the table and he followed her until he was leaning over Uma, between her legs, with his arms around her hips. Something primitive in him felt good to have her taste in him. She relaxed her fingers over his hair, and he stopped biting her. But he didn't separate, he kissed the place where he marked her and licked the parts where his teeth left a scratch. She sighed and sat down, forcing him to return to his chair and leaning against her.
Uma stroked his hair and he felt his body relax. She kept his thoughts away. Ben knew he had to wonder how he had done that or why. But Uma made him feel that everything would be fine.
"Do you feel better?"
He nodded and looked up.
"Good. You are safe." Uma released him. "That was fine, right?"
Ben nodded.
"I never-"
"I know." Uma smiled maliciously. “Always the good guy, right? Denying part of your nature, and who you are.”
He looked down. His father had told him it was a curse that they had. A type of inherited curse, a punishment that supposedly should have disappeared, but had not. His father had made him feel that any beastly sign was somewhat embarrassing and that he should hide.
“When I was a child and I was angry about something, my fangs came out.” He remembered “Or I growled… Sometimes, when I was very excited or happy, I could feel my senses sharper… But they told me that was wrong.”
"We can't deny who we are." She looked at him with determination. “I am many things and I am proud of each one of them. I can do magic and I have some superhuman or inhuman powers, depending on who looks at me. But I’m proud.”
He took her hand. He kissed her on her knuckles, and she smiled wistfully. In the Cotillon, he had been under a spell, but he remembered certain things he had felt right. Like kissing Uma's hand in recognition. Because in other circumstances he would have done the same and would have also wanted to dance with her. His important guest. Maybe, on another occasion, they could do exactly that. Do things the right way.
But unlike the Cotillon, Uma didn’t smile harmlessly, nor did she look like an innocent young princess. She was sitting on the table, with her legs on his shoulders and a proud look. And with his bite in her thigh.
He would want to dance with her, the real Uma. Something in his mind told him that she was the type of person who led the dance and was incredibly provocative even with the most modest music.
“You are the King. Your people need you. Don't let them underestimate you. Don’t let your voice be silenced. They must understand the huge difference between them and you.” Uma pressed her thumb over her chin so he could show his fangs. "You have hundreds of advantages over them. Use each one of them."
Ben nodded. People tended to protect him and set him aside. They treated him as if he needed to be rescued constantly. But Uma trusted him. She believed in his abilities.
“Being a leader is difficult. People are always looking at you and waiting for things from you.” Uma shrugged. “That's why you need a place to let off steam and feel better. All those aspects that make you who are. You also need to be taken care of.”
Ben took her legs and got up. She circled his waist with her thighs, and he kept his hands on her skin, feeling her closeness.
"Thank you." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You know much more than me about all of this."
She raised her eyebrows at that gesture. But Ben refused to apologize. After what happened, he had no idea what he could or couldn’t do. But if she wasn't upset with his actions, he didn't want to apologize. Because honestly, Ben no longer thought he knew how to not touch her after being blessed with her intimacy.
"I've been a leader for a longer time." Uma laid her hands on his shoulders. “And I could see how your pupils dilated and your body tensed for those idiotic people. Now we are a team and I take care of what it's mine.” She lifted her chin. “You have potential, Beast Boy. Don't let those obsolete make you believe otherwise.”
He nodded. He had never had such a serious talk at such an intimate distance. Her thighs around his hips gave him security. Her hands on his shoulders gave him stability. Her tasted in his mouth made him feel balanced. Whatever had happened between them, felt right. As something he would like to repeat.
"Are all your aspects being taken care of?" Ben asked.
She laughed wickedly and smirked.
"Does King Ben want to offer me his services?"
He looked down, not hiding his smile. Uma took his chin to get his attention.
"I would be honored." He admitted.
"You didn't hesitate to trust me." Uma slipped her index over his neck like a little caress. "And you were incredibly receptive."
“Since I met you, I thought you had a magical power that not even the barrier could seal. All your crew seemed willing to jump to the sharks for you.”
She smiled approvingly at his compliment and hooked her finger over the collar of his shirt.
"And mainly..." Ben whispered and felt his throat dry from the way she looked at his shirt as if it was an insult that it was getting in the way of her finger. Maybe it was. He was no longer sure. "...I thought you should have a magic touch on your fingers."
"Magic fingers." She looked at him mischievously. "Yes, you could say that."
Ben denied, feeling his cheeks blush.
"I mean... I always wondered if, like the others, I would fall as well before you if you touch me."
She pulled his shirt in her direction and he leaned toward her. His body adapted to face her wicked eyes.
"And what would you say now?"
"That it’s true…"
Uma brought her free hand close to his face and he took it to kiss her on her knuckles. A kiss. Another on the palm of her hand. One more on her wrist, on her pulse. He leaned closer. Ben was very aware of how thirsty he felt, how desperate he was to feel her closer. But she dodged his lips, offering her cheek. Ben kissed her there, slowly, enjoying the increased heat in her skin. When he pulled away, he looked at her lips. But Uma denied.
"Show me that you can handle the Council." She offered.
Ben was intrigued by her offer.
"If I do, will you let me kiss you?"
Uma denied.
"I will allow you to satisfy one of my needs.” She lowered her legs and laid her hands on the table.
Ben felt abandoned by the lack of her contact. Maybe she did have magical power, something addictive and dangerous. Suggestive. Because he had never wanted so much to be touched by another person.
"Show me that you can control your Council and I will let you satisfy the need I have for you." She stroked his fangs. "I'm curious to explore the possibilities we will have with these and other things."
Ben growled. It was something wild and deep that he didn't even know existed in him. Uma laughed openly and winked.
When Harry and the rest of the Council returned, the moods were much calmer. Uma returned to her seat and he felt incredibly more relaxed. He watched as Harry stood behind his captain again. Ben felt his cheeks blush when Uma crossed her legs so that Harry could look at his bite. The pirate looked at him with recognition, as if he could finally give him some respect.
He felt ashamed to see the mark she proudly displayed, knowing that she had unleashed his most beastly side. But Ben could tell he was smiling, admiring what he had done. Because he had marked her in such an intimate and yet visible place. His instinct felt satisfied and proud.
Ben looked at the Council and felt stronger. He had made a deal with a sea witch. And he was very willing to do his part in exchange for such a promising reward.