FIRE NATION

The Fire Lily Festival: Part X

Roseanne's cheeks burned as her silk robe fell away beneath Lalisa's familiar hands. As it fluttered to the ground, the drums struck up a frantic rhythm and the crowd roared its approval. There were hundreds of eyes on her, but only one gaze mattered. Lalisa's stare sent a bolt of desire straight between Roseanne's legs, full of appreciation, possessiveness, and so, so much lust...

She couldn't stifle the whimper that escaped her lips, but that was a good thing, because it made Lalisa grasp her hips and pull her closer. Roseanne shuddered with relief as well as want. Feeling Lalisa's bare flesh against hers was utter bliss, but it wasn't nearly enough.

That was why she whined in disappointment as Lalisa parted from her and delivered her into Lo and Li's hands. Theirs was definitely not the grip Roseanne longed for. She wanted to snarl and pull away, to rush back into the safe circle of Lalisa's arms. But Lalisa's chi surrounded her, insistent and demanding. Instinct told her that she needed to obey.

She allowed the twins to lead her to the altar. It was more of a stone table, really, positioned at waist height. In the torchlight, Roseanne saw the gleam of metal chains. She gasped, toeing the fine line between arousal and fear. Though she trusted Lalisa, this was a stark reminder of what the ritual was. Complete submission, willing or not.

Roseanne closed her eyes. Lalisa had bound her in chains, that first night...

The brief battle within her lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. She lifted her head, seeking reassurance from Lalisa, and what she saw affirmed her trust. Though the alpha's eyes burned with hunger, her lips held a soft smile—not her usual smirk, or even a fiendish look of delight at someone else's misfortune. It was tender, genuine, and reserved only for her.

"How would you like her presented?" one of the twins asked Lalisa.

"All fours is traditional," the other said.

Lalisa did not follow the suggestion. Instead, she looked to Roseanne with a question in her eyes.

It took Roseanne's foggy mind a moment to understand that her mate was allowing her to choose. Heat-fueled images flashed through her head—Lalisa bending her over the altar, Lalisa forcing her onto her hands and knees, Lalisa driving into her from above...

It was only Roseanne's intense desire to see Lalisa's face while they were joined that allowed her to summon words. "On my back," she whispered, pleading. She didn't care how similar this situation was to the night Lalisa had purchased her. She would do anything to gaze into her mate's eyes.

Lalisa's eyebrows rose, but she did not object. "On her back," she told Li and Lo, "limbs spread."

It was her alpha's words that gave Roseanne the courage to stumble along between her guides. Somehow she made it to the altar, shivering as her spine touched cold stone. For a moment, she regretted her decision. In this position, she was extremely exposed. Lalisa's body could only do so much to cover hers. The crowd, at least, seemed to approve. There was a rising swell of gasps, although that could have been because of the unusual choice in position.

Roseanne bit her lip, waiting. Then it came—the cool click of metal circling her ankles. Lo and Li's shadows glided along opposite sides of the altar, and Roseanne felt them raise her arms above her head to repeat the process. She resisted the impulse to squirm and test the length of the chains. Comfort would only come once Lalisa stretched out on top of her and pushed inside her.

* * *

Lalisa dug her nails into her palms, fighting the urge to tear Lo and Li away from her mate and throw them down the stairs. Her advisers were no threat, but that was small comfort. The only hands that should be on Roseanne were hers. This omega's body was hers to touch. Hers to hold, to mark, to fuck. Her spine remained stiff, her lips peeled back over her teeth, until both advisers finished securing Roseanne's chains and stepped well away.