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The moon reflects glimmers of armor, illuminating her body adorned with embedded glowing stars. A silver path of celestial bodies spread across the Queen’s body, pleading for her favor, to accept the honey-sweet offering and his sword behind it.
Darlington have been seeing her, Alex Stern, as it was the first time since she'd brought him out of hell. His mind was wandering through kitchen in Black Elm, where the beauty of Horrible Queen seems to permeated the demon's flesh or the man who knelt down before her during the Manuscript party, infusing adrenaline and ecstasy into primal intoxicating desire. Serve her.
“You’re not going to ask why I wasn’t afraid?” Alex asked, though it was a foolish question after everything they’d been through.
“That’s not what surprises me,” Darlington tried to keep his voice steady, though control was slipping away.
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Darlington took his breath, trying to calm down in a soft chair. He rubbed corners of a book, the reports, that were been written about him although they weren't feeling the same, weren't showing the picture what exactly wanted the Golden boy of Lethe. Laconism was deceptive—a shadow version of the man who should've died. But he was alive, pretending to focus on the notes, even though just five minutes ago he had, with a sad smile, criticized Michelle, his Virgil, for the terseness of her writing. Now, it seemed to him that Alex was both his judge and his salvation. A sinner and a vessel for the satisfaction of unhealthy desires. The Horrible Queen with a golden chain in her hand.
"Could it be possible that something you were talking about in Black Elm will ever be satisfied?"
His eyes widened by the realization of her words. He reached for the bottle of armagnac, but knocked it over and shattered it instead. Alex looked at it with an unreadable expression.
“That wasn’t a metaphor, Stern,” Darlington’s voice carried a note of irritation—or was it… disappointment?
Demons love playing games, and he knew his mind was toying with him too.
“Then what was speaking in you?” Alex took a step forward, carefully circling the long table.
Desire. Need. Hunger. That was all Darlington wanted to say, but all that came out was a pitiful sigh.
“What was in the circle—”
“Is still here."
"Debatable"
The ticking of the clock fed the taut silence. Alex took another step closer, just as Darlington finally turned away, quietly drumming his fingers on the surface of the velvet chair. A rustle, a whisper—anything could be a distraction, until distraction itself became a scorched rebirth.
“Do you always feel that chain?”
Darlington lazily turned his head toward her, a golden spark flashing in his eyes, tracing the contours of his pupils.
“Always.”
Alex slowly reached her hand to him, tucking rebellious short strand of hair behind his ear. Darlington leaned into her touch, a soft growl rising from his chest.
I will serve you until the end of days.
"Stern…” He grabbed her wrist.
“What do you want, Darlington?”
“I can’t say it out loud.”
“Nothing’s stopping you. Nothing anymore.”
He sighed.
“Don’t forget I’m still technically human… with appetites.”
Then Alex turned away. It was hard to tell what was hidden behind her shining dark hair. All Darlington managed to observe was a brief, barely noticeable change in her expression — somewhere in the region of her cheeks.
"Nothing stops you,” Alex turned back and stepped right up to him.
He felt the sword again—in his hand and in his back. But this pain was sweet, more intoxicating than the finest liquor. She gleamed. The stars on her arms pulsed, awakening tiny inked rattlesnakes slithering across the Queen’s skin, already crawling toward him. Darlington couldn’t look away. He slowly dropped to his knees before Alex, never breaking eye contact. Gently, he wrapped his hands around her thighs, breath hitching as if no healing magic could quite mend his wounds.
She was his sin. Greed in every language, every mouth and tongue.
If only she would allow it…
“Stern,” his voice pleaded, breaking. Claws slowly grew, sinking into her skin, that glint in his eyes becoming blinding.
Alex lifted his chin, whispering:
“To serve and to love... Those things are not different, isn't it, Darlington?”
His grip tightened.
“They’re not the same,” Darlington’s hands slid along Alex’s legs. He waited for a command. His heart ached with the desire for someone… For her.
Sweet debauching enticement... He wish he tasted I'll for eternity.
Alex rolled her eyes.
“You’re a dickhead, but that’s not what surprises me,” she echoed his earlier words, fingers brushing gently along his jawline. He instantly seized her wrist.
"Stop it, Stern."
That time she smirked slyly. Alex traced the lines of his collarbones, drawing an invisible yoke. The claws still emerged, digging into flesh, but she didn’t care. This was different from all the past misfortunes that had haunted her.
Broken ribs or limbs couldn’t compare to the dull ache in her wrist sending signals down into her belly. Honey. A soul-consuming hunger
Darlington resisted, holding on to the sliver of humanity left in him. His eyes flared with rage, pupils dilated, as if letting the Horrible One admire her own reflection in them.
"To fuck with the rules,” she whispered.
“That’s not—”
“Darlington,” she said more firmly now, her tone freezing him in place. “We were made to be born of demons."
Alex slipped her hands beneath his shirt, pulling him closer. The gold around his neck shimmered in prison colors, left in the hands of the Cheshire Cat, who manipulated his appearances within his corrupted soul.
"Make me break this chains."
"Better not." he beseeched.
"Come on, it's just-"
"I don't want to be fully unleashed, Stern."
"Come and get closer, Danny."
The Queen, unsatisfied with his answer, would have been petulant and disappointed—if not for the insatiable Mammon who now possessed her soul.
“Come closer, Danny,” hissed the Terrible One, leaning into her knight.
All that remained was to lean in, share soul once more, and swear that sweetness would belong to her alone.
Alex ran her hand along the twisted horns that had just grown, slowly destroying the yoke.
Darlington’s eyes glowed gold. It took him a moment to comprehend this shackled liberation, to find the words in an unspeakable libretto, and reach her in a pleading kiss.
Madness conquered the suffering souls, waves of dependence crashed over Alex. She gasped, feeling the blue fire entwine with her knight’s hunger, shutting down both their minds.
With every gasp and kiss-deepening Alex was feeling her swelling bitten lips, the body was limp, ready to spread before the gentleman demon.
"Galaxy." Darlington growled, nuzzling to her neck. Alex's scent was driving him crazy, it seems to him that his chains were going to break, unleashing something inhuman.
Darlington picked her up. He heard Queen's whimpering, hear her begging to kiss her one more time. But demon wasn't going to give Alex everything so easily.
Darlington put her down on bed. Slowly. Deliberately. Alex quickly got comfortable and stretched like a spoiled feline, beckoning him.
"You're a horrible girl." Darlington murmured.
"M'am. You're a horrible girl, m'am."
“It’s not impressive. I expected more from your vulgar mouth, Stern,” Darlington leaned into Alex’s neck, lightly tracing her carotid artery and below with his fangs. The demon perked up his ears, savoring the sweet suffering and desperate moans. He followed a deliberate path downward, unbuttoning her shirt. His chest ached with the relentless desire humming through him.
Darlington turned back to the face that had endured so much pain—so he could see the world once more. Like an obedient creature, he nuzzled against Alex’s cheek; his lashes tickled her skin like a butterfly’s kiss.
One of his hands gently cupped the queen’s neck, while the other continued undressing her. She could hear his shallow breathing—it seemed like he was softly purring into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
"Darlington?"
"Mm?"
"Just fuck me and end this tortures."
He chuckled silently, losing his human nature with every second. Darlington found Alex's bra, purring to her ear. Alex barely moaned. She clinged to his clothes, as the prayer would be the only thing leaves her mouth. Darlington went down to her neck, marking it with hickey. Alex couldn't help but let go a whimpering, throwing her head back for better view. Darlington sounds pretty satisfied, continuing his worshipping.
Soon the whole Queen's body was full of his marks and wet kisses. Alex could recognize these very scribbles of the Golden boy of Lethe but this time it was not done in a hurry, but slowly, as if she was being tortured; they drank their nails into the skin, demanding more moans; reach screams.
When Darlington bit her nipple through the fabric, Alex gasped piercingly:
"Danny-"
Darlington didn’t let her finish, covering her mouth with a hungry, sadistic kiss. He fully rolled over onto Alex’s body, pinning her beneath him. It made the Queen arch; the Dreadful one deepened the kiss, encouraging the knight. She sighed softly when Darlington loosened the hooks of her bra and pulled back.
“God…” — he settled his head between Alex’s breasts. Darlington whimpered softly as he felt himself drowning in the need to satisfy the demon. He wanted to make her writhe, to play with her, to make her beg for more… anything, just to please her, to make her feel desired, the best. “Alex…”
Darlington bit her nipple, drawing a sharp cry from her. He quickly licked the bite, soothing the sting.
"Please, Danny," Alex gripped the demon’s hair, tilting his head back to meet his eyes. Hunger. Raw desire and need.
"You are so enchanting," he murmured, his expression a mix of submission and desperation. Darlington rose from the bed and, seizing Alex by the ankles, dragged her toward the edge. "I need to serve you."
With those words, he sank to his knees and moved closer. Alex caught her breath. She couldn't remember the last time a man had knelt before her, the last time someone had offered her pleasure—if it had ever happened at all. When was the last time a partner hadn't seen her as just a body... meat, a vessel, a junkie doll?
Alex touched Darlington’s golden horns. He reacted instantly. She smiled.
"What is this, Stern?" Darlington asked.
"Nothing. Just enjoying the view."
The knight’s eyes flashed dangerously. Alex watched as the golden glow of his body seeped through his shirt, his shoulders broadening, shifting his form into something slightly different. Darlington placed his hands on Alex’s thighs and leaned down to kiss the inner part of them. She whimpered softly, gripping his hair. Claws dug into her skin once more, and the moist brush of his lips turned into full-blown bites in a style she knew all too well. Alex cried out as another possessive mark adorned her body like a new tattoo.
"Just what’s needed," Darlington smiled, allowing his other self to take control for a time. With a swift movement, he reached her clitoris and caught it between his teeth, licking it through her panties, asserting his claim over the obstacle. His tongue moved slowly, in a rhythmic pace. Occasionally he would pause, and then Alex would feel a persistent suction. Watching her face was a new kind of pleasure for Darlington. His tongue dipped lower to feel the dampness through the fabric. A growl rumbled in his chest. Alex gripped his hair, covering her mouth with her hand. She bit the inside of her palm, holding back her moans.
"Hmm, Stern?" It was sadistic delight, a mockery that felt like another test from her demon-gentleman. "Come now, surprise me."
"Darlington, I—"
Suddenly, he pressed his elbows into Alex’s thighs, sharply forcing them even wider. The girl let out a muffled scream.
"Prove to me that I’ve taught you something, Dante," Darlington ran a claw along the waistband of her panties and gave it a light tug.
"If you want me to curse you in Latin, I’ll have to refuse."
He laughed. "Well, then you would be satisfying one of my passions," he looked down at her with a wide grin.
"Go to hell, Darlington."
Predatory eyes gleamed. He pulled the waistband tighter. Alex whimpered, feeling it try to cut into her thighs like a thin blade. Darlington removed his hand from her mouth. "I want you to deafen me."
Sharp claws hooked the lace and, with a deft flick, tore it along with the thin fabric. Alex swallowed nervously, watching the spectacle. Darlington caught the movement instantly and kissed the bones of her wrists.
"You are incredible," he leaned gently against Alex’s hand, and seeing a calm smile in return, continued his assault. Darlington pulled Alex’s hips closer, burying his head between them, still holding her hand in his, lightly scratching it. The girl laughed, ruffling his hair. "There it is. Your laughter is beautiful, ma'am."
Darlington kissed the inner thigh again, but much more gently this time.
The control he had drawn from the purity of Alex’s smile began to slip. Again. He wanted so badly to break free... to feel that liberty, yet he knew he had to be patient. Darlington licked the spot where he’d left a mark one last time and paused directly over her clitoris. He watched Alex’s face, watching her readiness.
The girl touched his horns—they radiated submission and care—but the honey-tasting soul still lingered on her tongue. And it burned.
Alex shuddered, trying to press her thighs together when she felt Darlington’s tongue touch her. He protested quietly, pinning them in place with his elbows. Alex whimpered, lost in the sensation. It felt as though she’d forgotten all the pathetic attempts of past partners to please her, focusing only on this precious creature trying to take everything from her, to taste her until her last breath and drop.
As the pace quickened, Alex wanted to scream, to awaken the ravenous beast within the all-knowing soul of the demon-gentleman. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. Darlington continued to pleasure her until he suddenly pulled away. He licked his lips, staring intently at his Queen.
"Why did you—"
"Shh..." Darlington placed a finger to her lips. "I need to take something from you."
Alex’s body tensed. His name slipped from her tongue. She nervously gripped the blanket, watching the spectacle.
"I must see you satisfied, Queen," Darlington whispered, placing a tender kiss on her thigh. He ran a finger down, around the entrance. The slickness was unbearable.
"P-please..." Alex purred.
Darlington gave a sly smile. "You’re tense. As much as I want to give you what you ask for, I cannot." He continued to circle with his finger. Alex whimpered. Darlington felt the demon inside him whispering to go further, flooding blood to all the right places until his clothes felt far too tight.
"I want this."
"Mm?"
"Darlington, I need—"
He cut her off once more. Alex gasped as she felt his finger inside her.
"Let me hear everything," Darlington continued with slow, circular motions, seeking the spot that would push Alex over the edge.
Control was vanishing, falling into the abyss at a frantic speed the moment his tongue slid over her again. Alex held back, writhing, whispering his name until she realized his finger was pressing exactly where it needed to. Darlington listened, teasing her on purpose, slowing his movements. She hissed, trying to guide him closer. The waves were approaching, intending to sweep her off the ledge. Darlington knew it, yet he did nothing. Torment. A slow torture devised in the youngest pits of hell. Only when he heard her curse did he drive his finger deeper, sliding faster.
"Danny, god, dammit. Keep going."
He stopped. Alex hissed, "I hate you."
Darlington laughed. "You learn quickly, Dante. But I am not that cruel."
The pace accelerated. There was no doubt Alex was about to reach a sweet orgasm, as if for the first time in her life. In those fleeting seconds, she tried to remember—had there been anything like this? Len... the other exes... everyone before Lethe... Or had she—
"God, yes... keep going!" Alex screamed, abandoning all humanity and principle. The final stroke of his tongue poured pure ecstasy and an agony for more into her. She called for him, aching for him, uttering that damned name like a prayer. With the next kiss, besides his soul, Alex tasted herself on her own tongue, trying to free the knight from the pressure and the hard erection pressing against her thigh.
Hungry kisses covered Darlington’s face. Alex marked him, purring gratefully, and when the last of his clothes fell away, she couldn't suppress a gasp at his sculpted body.
"Love me in any way," Alex murmured as Darlington positioned himself against her.
"I will serve you as best I can. You are the woman I am bound to."
He thrust into her, letting out a groan. Darlington could no longer remain composed as Alex enveloped him.
He began to move, pressing his head against the crook of her neck, murmuring words in Latin.
Alex stopped holding back. She interlaced their fingers, moving in perfect rhythm with him. The Queen locked her legs around Darlington’s waist, driving him deeper. He let out a whimper, but at the same time, it felt as though his humanity was slowly fading. His restraint shattered, and the demon within craved its fill. Darlington bit Alex’s collarbone, thrusting wildly, deeper and deeper. Alex screamed, and the sound only fueled his hunger.
"Louder," he growled, rubbing her clitoris.
The Terrible One writhed beneath him, her cries echoing far beyond the room. Perhaps Il Bastone itself struggled to hold the walls against the sheer tension the two of them created on that narrow bed.
"Yes, perfect," Darlington continued his service, admiring the flushed face of the Terrible Queen. She could get used to this quickly. There was no trouble in making her peak. Darlington felt her clench around him, becoming agonizingly tight. It was becoming unbearable. He continued to thrust in a frantic rhythm, allowing the demon to fully eclipse him for a moment.
"Danny... I can't..." Alex’s breath quickened to a frantic pace. Darlington doubled his efforts, watching as she slowly reached her climax once more. That piercing moan struck his ears so sharply that it took every ounce of human willpower he had left not to finish along with her. The Queen’s needs came first; and so, Darlington slowly came to his senses, regaining his human form. He withdrew from her and found a soft blanket to cover the Terrible One.
Darlington knelt beside her, resting his head on Alex’s hands.
"Thank you," he murmured.
Alex laughed. "You certainly have a way of ruining the moment."
"My human virtues operate according to the rules," Darlington kissed Alex’s knuckles, savoring the moment of peace. "Lord... I cannot stop worshipping you."
Alex ruffled his dark hair and smiled. Darlington looked up at her.
"Hungry?"
"You're reading my mind."
"You’re a glutton, Stern. What am I even doing, talking to you like this?"
Alex rolled her eyes. "Such ignorance toward the woman who dragged you out of hell."
Darlington sighed. "Don't play. You know well that I am weak."
He stood up, and as he reached the door, he couldn't help but look at Alex one last time. Powerful, star-strewn... His Terrible Queen.
"I'll serve you 'till the end of days."