The Executed Empress Proposed to His Scarred Brother novel · Chapter 15 of 24
Chapter 15: Blind
"Sit still," said Ilarion. "Lift your chin."
Iseult sat on the edge of the bed in her nightgown with her hands in her lap.
The fire had burned down to red, and the candle on the table had been moved closer.
He stood in front of her with his own cravat in his hands, a strip of grey linen as long as her arm.
"Tonight you don't look at anything," he said. "You only feel."
"I want to look at you."
"I know you do."
He laid the linen over her eyes and tied it behind her head, firm but not tight.
The room went black.
She had been a woman in the dark before.
For six years she had undressed behind a screen and lain still while an Emperor took what he wanted in the gloom.
This dark was different, because this dark had his breathing in it.
"Say something," she whispered.
"I'm here."
"Say it again."
"I'm here, Iseult. I'm right in front of you."
His voice was warm, and a little unsteady, and she could tell exactly where his mouth was.
"I'm going to touch you now," he said. "Every time, I'll tell you where. All you have to do is stay."
"Yes."
"Good."
A fingertip landed on her collarbone.
It was so light that she held her breath.
"There," said Ilarion. "Left side. It's dry, I haven't even pressed."
The fingertip drew a line along the bone, out to her shoulder.
She shivered all the way to her knees.
"Now your throat. Now the hollow under your ear."
She tipped her head back without being asked, and a slow line of heat followed his hand.
Warmth bloomed on her bare skin, unlike a hand and unlike a mouth.
"What is that?"
"The candle," he said. "A hand's width away. I'm not touching you with anything."
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–6 of The Executed Empress Proposed to His Scarred Brother are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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