Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 162

Chapter 162

Something in Lyressa’s chest shifted at the look on his face.

“I had trouble sleeping,” she said stiffly.

“Of course you did.”

Draevyn handed her a goblet of dark wine.

She accepted it before she could second–guess herself.

And the night unfolded from there.

They played games Lyressa had never seen before–some involving cards, others involving carved stones and elaborate wagers. Draevyn dominated nearly every round, his sharp mind and quicker reflexes earning groans and laughter from the others.

Lyressa found herself laughing too.

Gods help her.

She hadn’t laughed like that in weeks.

Music swelled again as dancers filled the courtyard floor, moving freely beneath the stars.

Draevyn offered his hand.

At first, she refused.

Then she reconsidered.

The dancing began easily enough–loose, playful movements that required little structure. But as the night stretched on, the distance between them slowly vanished.

Hands brushed.

Then lingered.

Their bodies moved closer.

Closer still.

Until the space between them carried a heat that neither of them could ignore.

Draevyn’s voice lowered near her ear.

“Come with me.”

Before Lyressa could fully think it through-

he led her away from the courtyard.

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Chapter 162

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Into the forest.

The Dark Forest was darker than anything in her own realm. Moonlight barely pierced the towering trees, leaving the world wrapped in deep shadow and quiet magic.

But Draevyn moved through it like he belonged to the night itself.

He led her to a clearing where the forest floor was soft with moss and fallen leaves.

For a moment they simply looked at each other.

All the restraint she had clung to for weeks… broke the second Draevyn reached for her.

The kiss was slow at first.

Tentative–carrying every ounce of tension they had both tried to ignore.

Lyressa felt centuries of discipline fracture beneath the weight of the moment. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt as he pulled her closer, the warmth of his body grounding and dangerous all at

once.

When he lowered her gently onto the forest floor, Lyressa didn’t resist.

Not once.

He paused above her, searching her face.

Giving her time to stop him.

She didn’t.

Instead, her hand slid into his hair, drawing him back down to her.

That was all the permission he needed.

The kiss deepened–slow, hungry, full of something that had been waiting far longer than either of them dared admit.

Lyressa’s robe slipped from her shoulders, pooling around her in pale folds. Draevyn’s hands moved carefully as he loosened the laces of her nightgown, the fabric falling open beneath his touch.

His mouth followed the path of newly bared skin, swirling his tongue along her nipples, making her breath catch in quiet, startled gasps.

Somewhere beyond the moment-

Kaelani felt it.

Not the physical sensation, but the emotions wrapped around it. The way Lyressa’s heart pounded. The dangerous thrill of stepping beyond the lines she had been taught never to cross.

Lyressa stiffened slightly when Draevyn’s erect cock pressed against her core.

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Chapter 162

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“I’ve never…” she admitted softly, the words fragile in the quiet night.

Draevyn stilled immediately.

His gaze lifted to hers, all the fire in him softening.

“I know,” he said quietly. “And I’ll be gentle.”

The promise settled between them like something sacred.

Lyressa drew a steady breath, then nodded.

When he finally entered her, she gasped at the unfamiliar sensation, instinctively gripping his shoulders as she adjusted to his length and thickness.

Once he felt her body relax around him, he began to thrust. Slowly at first, careful and measured, giving her time to find the rhythm with him. But the restraint didn’t last. His pace quickened, thrusts driving deeper as urgency began to eclipse the careful control he’d held moments before.

His groans deepened with pleasure, blending with her breathless moans and the wet, rhythmic sound of their bodies coming together again and again.

Kaelani experienced everything.

Not as a distant observer–but as if she were the one beneath him.

The raw, powerful rhythm of his body. The heat of his breath against Lyressa’s skin. The way his mouth moved across her throat and shoulders, leaving lingering kisses in their wake.

His voice was rough against her ear as he whispered words meant only for her.

“Lyressa…”

And then softer still-

“I love you.”

Lyressa arched beneath him, the sensation building until it shattered through her in waves.

Her gaze drifted upward to the moonlit sky as pleasure rippled through her, breaking over her again and again until it felt as though she were shattering into a thousand brilliant pieces in his arms.

This wasn’t Kaelani’s memory.

It wasn’t her love.

And yet she felt every piece of it–the pleasure, the surrender, the dangerous depth of ecstasy that pulsed between them.

And somewhere beyond the pleasure, beyond the bodies tangled beneath the stars, Kaelani understood one terrible truth–she was witnessing the beginning of a tragedy.