Married To The Dragon Prince Against My Will-Chapter 222: THE PASSIONATE MOMENT

Stella helped Lumina out of the warm steamy spring bath, her careful hands steadying the blindfolded enchantress as small droplets slid down her skin like pearls.

Lumina’s hair fell in soft waves around her, newly washed, smelling faintly of the floral oils Stella always used.

She looked renewed in a way that made Stella exhale with genuine relief.

Lumina’s pale lashes fluttered, her white eyes soft, and still she carried that ethereal presence that never left her, no matter the circumstance.

The chambers were quiet. Ashen was not inside, and that absence left the room strangely hollow.

Stella guided Lumina to sit and began dressing her, but Lumina lifted a hand.

"Bring me a light linen," she said gently.

"My lady is..." Stella began softly, hesitant.

"Just do what I want," Lumina whispered, closing her eyes as if gathering the fading strength inside her.

Stella obeyed without further argument, draping the light linen garment around her lady’s shoulders. As she continued drying Lumina’s long hair, her hands paused and suddenly she embraced her from behind, arms trembling slightly around Lumina’s form.

"Thank you so much, my lady," Stella whispered against her ear. "I was so terrified when you said you could not recall us. I felt guilt, so much guilt, thinking I failed you even after everything you have done for me. Please, my lady, do not do that again."

Lumina smiled gently, her fingers brushing Stella’s arm to reassure her. She nodded slowly.

"Of course, I would not do that again. I was not hurt that much, Stella. I only needed to confuse them a little. They wanted to play easy games with me. I had to protect myself and you. It was the only way I could think of at that moment. Thank goodness Ashen is back."

Stella smiled faintly, nodding at her lady’s wisdom.

"Stella," Lumina said quietly, "I need to gain my eyesight as soon as possible."

The maid blinked, startled by the sudden shift in tone.

"I need Ashen to do it on time for me. It is taking more time than it should." Lumina reached inside her linen and pulled out the bead she had secretly hidden. Stella’s eyes widened.

"My lady... regarding the queen, how did you get this sudden bead inside her?"

Lumina’s lips curved into a dangerous smirk.

"There is no bead inside her," she said softly. "I only enchanted her. I placed a spell on her that forces her to lose consciousness whenever I do. I suspected she and the others might try something while I was weak."

Stella smiled with admiration.

"My lady is very smart."

Before Lumina could respond, the sound of someone clearing their throat reached them.

Stella turned quickly, her posture straightening.

Ashen stood by the entrance, tall, composed Stella bowed deeply.

"Welcome my Lord."

He walked in with slow steps, his eyes sweeping over Lumina in her light linen before turning to Stella.

"It seems you have gotten better and your poison is not acting up?" Ashen asked.

Stella nodded with a soft smile. "Of course my lord. The antidote given earlier worked."

Ashen nodded and gestured for her to leave. Stella obeyed, slipping out silently.

Only when the door clicked shut did Ashen move toward Lumina.

She sat on the bridal couch, her white eyes lifted as if sensing his presence before he even approached.

"You should wear something heavier. You will get cold," he murmured, reaching toward the closet. He pulled out a warm robe and returned to her, holding it out.

But she did not take it. Ashen sighed softly, he had missed his wife’s silliness. He set the robe aside, took her by her arms, and gently tried to drape it over her shoulders.

Instead, Lumina reached forward and wrapped both arms around him, pressing her cheek against his chest, drawing him in with a sudden yearning that made him pause.

"My husband is always warm," she whispered. "Why cover myself with that?"

Her voice trembled faintly at the edges, and Ashen felt something in his chest tighten. She had not realized how deeply she had missed this warmth until it was gone.

He had not realized how hollow his life felt without her.

"I warned you never to leave the chambers," he muttered quietly.

Lumina touched a finger to his lips. "Do not get mad at me. We are both fine now. And..."

She tilted her face upward, inhaling softly against the fabric of his robe, her senses sharper in her blindness.

"You fought with your brother," she murmured.

Ashen did not deny it. He only smirked faintly.

"I knew you would fight for me," she whispered as she hugged him again, her arms clinging tighter.

"Leave Alexis out of this," she said. "He only followed what your brother and mother commanded."

Ashen, still smiling, slowly lifted her chin and kissed her instead.

Her breath stilled at the suddenness. She leaned into him instinctively, her lips soft under his, her fingers reaching up to wrap around the back of his neck.

The kiss deepened as Ashen’s control wavered. His mouth moved over hers slowly at first, tasting her, then with growing hunger. Her breath escaped in a small trembling sigh, and Ashen’s hands slid along her waist, pulling her closer.

She bit his lower lip lightly, a soft teasing nibble that made him inhale sharply.

His hand tightened at her waist as he answered the bite with one of his own, gentle but longing.

Their breaths mingled, warm and uneven, her fingers threading into his hair while his lips brushed the corner of her mouth.

She pulled away when her breath grew short, but he held her, refusing the distance.

His hands slid to her sides, guiding her back. Her spine met the wall behind her dressing table, and with a small gasp, she found herself lifted slightly onto the edge of the table.

The wood was cool beneath her, but Ashen’s heat pressed into her from the front.

He kissed along her jaw, trailing to her neck. Each kiss was slow and lingering, each touch a message of the days he spent without her.

When he reached the sensitive place beneath her ear, she tilted her head to give him better access, her breath trembling.

"I missed you," he whispered against her skin, his voice low.

She placed a hand against his chest and pushed gently, to look toward him with a small, calm smile.

It was the smile that always softened him, the one that reminded him why he fought, why he endured, why he stayed alive.

She was not wearing her blindfold, and her pure white eyes looked up at him, glowing faintly in the dim room.

They were unseeing yet somehow full, with feelings he couldn’t explain.

She was his calmness, and when she had pretended not to recognize him, he had almost broken.

"Ashen..." she whispered.

"Let us spend the night in each other’s arms."

Ashen’s brows rose slightly as she moved closer.

Her fingers traced down his chest, stopping at the knot of his robe.

"What do you mean my love?"

Lumina smiled and slowly she untied it, her hands moving as though savoring him through touch alone.

The robe loosened and she tugged gently and it slid to the ground.

The second layer followed, then the third, and finally the last.

His bare chest rose and fell in a deep breath, his muscles tensing beneath her fingers. She traced the lines of his chest slowly, almost reverently, moving upward toward his shoulder.

Ashen leaned forward as her touch guided him closer.

She lifted her face and pressed a soft kiss to Adam’s apple. His breath caught with his eyes closed, his control wavering dangerously as every part of him strained to keep his beast in check.

Her hands slid to his shoulders, pulling him downward again. She nipped gently at his neck, her lips warm against his skin.

"You sure you can take all of my beast?" Ashen whispered against her ear, his voice low enough to shiver down her spine.

He bit her ear lightly, and her breath trembled. His hand slid from her waist downward, lifting the edge of her gown slowly.

"I heard Adam dared to do something with you," he murmured, his voice carrying a dangerous softness.

Lumina’s eyes widened and her hands faltered on his shoulders, but his arm circled her waist, steadying her.

He parted her legs so he could stand between them, drawing her closer.

She felt his length press between her thighs, and her breath caught again, she didn’t want him to know so she controlled herself.

"Jealous," she whispered faintly.

Ashen smirked, leaning into her until her body warmed to his.

"Could he do that?" he murmured as she felt him grow harder beneath his remaining clothing.

Her breath hitched. Her fingers curled against his skin, making him smirk deeper, satisfied.

"Answer me, my lovely wife."

"No..." she stuttered, cheeks flushed.

He pulled her closer until her chest pressed to his bare skin, and she shivered at the warmth.

"Did you enjoy whatever he did?" he whispered in her ear.

She trembled, shaking her head quickly.

His hand slid slowly up her thigh, then paused.

"You are not wearing underwear," he said softly. She swallowed, nodding.

His smirk deepened, his gaze lingering on her breathless expression before he returned his hands to her waist.

He seemed to be savoring every moment of touching her this way for the first time.

He lifted her gently from the table and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.

Her body pressed tightly against his, her core settling against the hard length restrained only by his trousers.

Her breath trembled as he held her securely, one hand sliding beneath her gown, holding her firmly against his waist as he kissed her again.