***
I tried to push him away, but my arms felt heavy. All I wanted was for him to kiss me, to make love to me, to be the woman he thought I was. But I wasn’t her…
You are her, a voice inside me said with conviction.
I knew he was some kind of monster. I was terrified. He had never touched me beyond the courtesies expected in public, but it had been apparent in his tone that was going to end tonight.
Cohabiting with a polite monster was one thing… bedding one was quite another. My first thought was to flee. But the servants that manned the doors were all his people, ones that could see with his eyes. Damien had grown unbelievably strong these past months. There would be no escape.
I undressed and waited for him in bed, shivering. In a few moments, he entered, then came to stand beside the bed, where he began undressing.
The human that had been my husband had been a drunk, and his body had reflected that. But the new Damien rarely imbibed in smoke or drink, and never ate to excess. I had noticed that his suits had changed in that time, and not just in the expensiveness of their cloth. The proof was there before me in naked flesh, smooth muscle having replaced flaccid fat. Lust at once washed through my heart, and I averted my eyes.