Daemon’s oceanic gaze swallowed you whole, hazy with wine yet no less cutting. It was not the softness of inebriation that dimmed them, but the slow burn of it all. His tongue swept across his lower tier before curling into a devil-may-care smirk, the scent of Arbor Gold heavy upon his breath. “This is treason,” he drawled out agonizingly, the words tangled in a macabre indulgence—low, and insufferable; with a hint of coiled threat.

“Best keep it hidden then,” you quipped, that cheeky grin of yours nothing short of wickedness. One fingertip, doused with rouge lip paint, carved bold letters across your elder brother’s bare chest with little ceremony, bestowing him the traitorous title: King.

A low, husky sound crawled its way from the back of his throat—a half-measured laugh, if you will. His hand darted out, seizing your wrist as you completed the final letter. The grip was tight and unyielding, reminding you of your place. “You toy, girl,” he murmured, his opposite slipping around your dainty waist like a terrible serpent, dragging your supple body flush against his own. Your thighs bracketed his hips before you had time to oppose such a thing.

“And here you lie in wait,” you mused, your voice laced with mock disappointment, “a drunken fool unwittingly providing your dear sister with a miraculous canvas as such.” You gestured concisely toward his exposed chest. “You’re meant to be feared, Daemon. ‘Tis a shame in truth,” you clicked your tongue against your teeth, feigning pity. “Ought do better than that.”

“Better,” he parroted, the word thick and amused, rolling lazily off his tongue as if it offended him. “Se skoros irughagon ao nykēla?” he purred lowly in High Valyrian, questioning your authority.

Then, he wrenched you forward until your palms landed flat against his chest, right above the treachery stained upon his fair skin. His addled breath fanned scorchingly against the shell of your ear as you steadied yourself. The mattress gave beneath your knees, sinking deeper until there was no space left between the two of you.