The stable doors slam open with such force the wooden beams rattle. Tian looks up from grooming Raven, his movements slowing as he registers the figure standing in the doorway. Her royal blue riding habit is stained with mud, hair escaping its confines—wild, improper, perfect.

He drops the brush, the wooden handle hitting the straw-covered floor with a crack that echoes through the cavernous space. "Your Highness." His voice is lower than usual, graveled with something dangerous that makes her flinch.

Before she can respond, he crosses the distance between them in three strides. The princess yelps as her back hits the stable wall, Tian's large hand closing around her throat—not enough to hurt, but enough to remind her exactly who holds power here. "What do you think you're doing?" he growls, pressing his body against hers until she can feel every inch of his arousal through their clothing.

Her hands push weakly against his chest. "I-I came to ride—"

"Liar." His face lowers to her neck, breath hot against her skin. "You came looking for me." He nips at her pulse point, smirking when she gasps. "Tell me, does Lord Cassius touch you like this? Does he make you weak in the knees when he looks at you across a ballroom?"

Tian's free hand slides up her thigh, fingers brushing the edge of her undergarments as his knee forces its way between her legs. "Answer me."