I’m trembling as I put on the nightgown that’s hovering by the bed, feeling oddly conflicted. Something about the bath we took together made me lose my resolve, made me wonder if perhaps I’m mistaken and he isn’t as much of a threat to me as I’ve convinced myself he is.I bite down on my lip harshly as I get into bed and reach for the dagger, acutely aware of how close he is. I lie still and grip the dagger with all my strength when I hear the sound of him rising from the water, followed by footsteps. My heart is hammering in my chest as he approaches me, and I squeeze my eyes closed, trying my hardest to gather my courage.When I found the dagger, I’d been so certain that it was a sign, a solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem. Yet now that it’s time to use it, I’m second-guessing myself. The Shadow Emperor, my husband, doesn’t seem quite as evil as I’ve always thought him to be, and I’m scared I’m making a mistake.The sound of the covers being lifted fills my ears, and the bed dips as he lies down next to me. It’s now or never. If I don’t do this now, I’ll lose much more than just my life. I won’t let him take my innocence. I won’t give him what I wanted Nathaniel to have. I tighten my grip on the dagger’s hilt, my blood rushing through my ears as I steel myself.“Arabella,” he says, his voice soft.I turn toward him and raise my dagger, my eyes roaming over his body for a split second as hesitation hits me. Then I look into his eyes as I bring my arm down with as much force as I can muster, burying the blade deep into his heart.He grunts in pain, his eyes widening a fraction. Black blood rapidly covers both of us, and regret washes over me. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, pushing the blade in deeper. He’s the one they call a monster, yet it is I who acts like one. “I had no other choice.”His hand wraps over the hand I’m holding the dagger with, and he keeps it there as his gaze settles on the blood that’s coating my hands now. He raises a brow, clear confusion blending with pain, and time seems to still as I wait for him to respond, to retaliate.I thought he’d have ended my life by now in punishment for my actions, but he merely stares at me, a small smile on his face. “I wondered if you’d do it,” he murmurs, his voice laced with pain. “I didn’t think you’d have the courage.” He tightens his grip around my hand and pulls the dagger out, blood rapidly coating my nightgown before the bleeding simply stops.My hand slips out from underneath his as he throws the dagger to the side, letting it clatter onto the floor loudly. His eyes find mine, and I scramble back, fear gripping me. Shadows start to move around me, keeping me captive as Felix sits up and holds his hand up, a damp cloth materializing out of thin air. He watches me as he wipes his chest, revealing perfectly unmarred skin. It’s almost as though I didn’t stab him at all, not a single trace of the damage I inflicted present. He’s a true monster after all. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be easy to kill him… and now I’ll pay the price for attempting to.“I told you I’m called the Shadow Emperor for a reason, my love. There’s nothing you can hide from me. I knew you placed that dagger against the headboard the second you did it. I’ve been wondering whether you’re merely a meek princess from a tiny irrelevant country, or whether you have it in you to be my empress. I suppose I have my answer now.”He leans in and places his hands at the collar of my nightgown, tearing it right down the middle with ease, and I clutch at the sheets. I can see how aroused he still is, and based on the size of him, I have no doubt I’ll be in even more pain than I would have been had I cooperated with him. There is no way that something like that could fit inside me without ripping me apart.The shadows tug at me, pushing me onto my back. My hands are forcibly lifted above my head, pushing my chest out and exposing me lewdly, my hair strewn over the pillows. I whimper, but I don’t dare protest. Not after the stunt I just pulled.Felix leans over me, his gaze heated. He holds his hand up, and another cloth appears. My entire body tenses when he reaches for me. I try to pull away, but I’m unable to move.“My blood is poisonous, sweetheart. The longer it’s on your skin, the more harm it’ll do, though I’m starting to suspect you’re immune. It should’ve burned the moment it touched you, but your skin is unblemished.”His touch is gentle as he wipes my neck, removing the sticky black blood that sprayed all over me. He takes his time with me, and much to my surprise, there’s no anger in his eyes. He isn’t trying to hurt me, not in the slightest. If anything, he merely looks morose. “I’ll be honest, Empress. I hoped you could do what I have failed to do and end my life, but it wasn’t meant to be.”I tense when the cloth in his hands brushes over my nipple, the sensation foreign somehow. It feels more sensitive than it usually would, and heat rushes to my cheeks, making me avert my gaze.“I can clean myself,” I whisper, scared to speak up after what I just did.“Can you promise me that you won’t lunge for the dagger all over again if I let you go?”I nod.“Hmm, but then again, you also vowed to spend your life with me when we got married, yet here we are.”“I only promised to be with you until death do us part,” I say through gritted teeth. “I was just expediting the death part.”Felix pauses, and then he bursts out laughing, the sound surprisingly melodic. I suppose it is not out of character for a demon to have his charms.My eyes widen when he lifts my legs and spreads them indecently, seating himself between them, placing my legs on either side of his hips. Felix grabs the edges of my nightgown and continues to rip it apart until I’m lying in his bed completely bare, shadows tugging at my ankles and wrist, pinning me down for him.“My love,” he says, his eyes roaming over my body. “If someday, you manage to kill me, I’ll die a happy man. You must be cautious, however. As far as I am aware, killing me is impossible. I’ve tried, and I’ve never been able to figure out why I cannot die. Perhaps the curse won’t let me since it would die with me.” He sighs and looks away for a moment, his expression becoming forlorn. “My blood is exceptionally poisonous, so don’t spill it unnecessarily.”I blink in surprise. What does he mean, I’ve tried? He’s tried taking his own life? I can’t quite comprehend someone doing that, but my heart aches at the mere thought of it.Felix glances back at me, his gaze relaxed. A new clean cloth materializes in his hands, and he continues to wipe down my breasts, his movements slow and sensual. The way he’s got me exposed for him makes me feel vulnerable, but it does something else to me, too. The nerves I feel are foreign, laced with an emotion I can’t quite place. I bite down on my lip when I recognize it as arousal, and Felix smiles as though he knows exactly how he’s making me feel as he slowly caresses my body with the cloth in his hands.“Now, tell me why you attempted to kill me. Was it because I pushed you too far in the tub? Or were you instructed to kill me?”My heart starts to race at the thought of suspicion falling to my kingdom. My people could suffer endlessly because of my actions today. “It has nothing to do with Althea,” I profess. “I just… I wanted to… I didn’t want you to touch me.”His movements still, and the way he looks at me changes. “You wanted to save yourself for that boy, huh?”I part my lips to answer, but the truth echoes in the silence between us. Felix inhales sharply and lowers his forehead to my stomach, like he can’t bring himself to look at me.“You’re mine, Arabella,” he whispers against my skin, his voice tormented. “You’re my wife. Not only did you attempt to kill me on what I consider to be our wedding night—you also tried to keep something that’s mine from me so you could give it to another man. What do you think would be suitable punishment?”“You aren’t going to kill me?” I ask, my voice trembling.He raises his head, and the look in his eyes brings forth guilt and sorrow unlike anything I’ve felt before. I’d expected him to be mad, but the way he’s looking at me can only be described as deeply hurt. Because of me. “You’d choose death over being my empress?”Felix cups my face, a humorless smile on his face. “I will not kill you, nor will I release you from this bond, Empress. For as long as you breathe, you are mine, and you will learn your place. You belong with me, Arabella. By my side is where you will spend your days. Try to fight it, and punishment is all that awaits you.”He leans in and presses a soft kiss against my neck, and I gasp in surprise. His harsh words are entirely in contrast with his soft touches, and it begins to dawn on me then. Perhaps he isn’t the monster—I am.I inhale sharply as a new sensation washes over me when his teeth graze over my collarbone, leaving me wanting more. My heart starts to race and heat rushes through my body, stealing away my every thought. “I’ll make it so that you can never be with him again,” he warns me, our eyes meeting for a moment. “I will bind you to me in more ways than one.”He takes his time pressing featherlight kisses in a trail all the way down to my chest, each building the desire I hadn’t expected to feel. “Felix,” I plead, my voice unrecognizable. I’ve never sounded so… lustful.“Admit you want more, Arabella.”“Is this my punishment?” I ask, my voice huskier than I’d intended.Felix’s eyes flash, and that same lust I saw in the bathtub lights up his eyes once more. “It would be most suitable, would it not? It is, after all, our wedding night.” I bite down on my lip as his shadows glide over my body until it feels as though several hands are touching me, some twisting my nipples, others stroking my neck and thighs, overstimulating every sensitive part of me. A soft moan escapes my lips unwittingly, and Felix’s eyes fall closed for a moment, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “Tell me, wife. Do you accept your punishment?”I nod sharply, and his tongue flicks over my nipple in response, making me cry out instinctively. I need more of what he’s doing to me, but I don’t dare admit to it. Instead I involuntarily arch my spine, and he chuckles, seemingly pleased. The sound shouldn’t bring me so much relief, but it does. I’ve never felt remorse like I felt when he looked at me as if I’d betrayed him, as if I’d broken the heart I’d been convinced he didn’t have.Our eyes lock as his shadows gather around me. “Felix!” I whisper when I’m pulled to the edge of the bed, my legs spread wide as he kneels between them on the floor.He grabs my thighs and lets his eyes roam over my body, his gaze lingering, almost as though he’s committing the sight of me to memory. “I want my name to be the only thing on your lips tonight, beloved.” Felix presses a kiss right between my legs, stealing my breath. “Think only of me. Let me give you what no one else can,” he pleads, right before he leans in and tastes me.My desire rapidly becomes uncontainable, and sounds I’ve never made before leave my throat. If this is punishment, I’m sorely tempted to make several more attempts at his life. Felix drags his tongue right over the spot that keeps me at the edge and smiles. “Beg, Empress. You want my tongue on your clit, do you not?”My pleasure builds each time he flicks his tongue, all rational thought escaping my mind. “Please,” I whisper eventually, delirious.His laughter rings through the room before he places his hands on my thighs, gripping tightly as he gives me what I’m begging him for. His tongue pushes me over the edge, and wave after wave of pleasure washes over me, my inner muscles contracting painfully.“Fates,” I groan.noveldrama“Felix,” he corrects me. “The only one you’ll call for is me.”My legs tremble, and Felix gently kisses my thighs as I try my hardest to regain control over my body.“Next time, I won’t be so gentle with you,” he warns me as he takes me into his arms. The sheets rapidly fly off the bed, changing themselves instantly before he lays me back down. “Let this be a lesson.”