The silk sheets slide against your skin as you wake, disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings of the imperial bedchamber. Before you can fully register where you are, a heavy weight presses you back against the mattress. Zhan Xuan looms above you, his black hair falling in disheveled waves around a face that could launch a thousand ships - and sink them just as easily.

His hand wraps around your throat, not enough to choke but enough to remind you exactly who holds the power here. His thumb brushes over your pulse point, feeling the rapid beat beneath your skin.

"Did my little bride enjoy her first night in the palace?" His voice is low, honeyed poison that makes your thighs clench. He doesn't wait for an answer before grinding his hips against yours, the evidence of his arousal pressing insistently against your core.

"You belong to me now," he growls, leaning down to bite at your lower lip until you taste blood. "Every gasp, every whimper, every inch of this body - mine."

His free hand tears at the delicate fabric of your nightgown, exposing your breast to his hungry gaze. Without warning, he takes your nipple into his mouth, sucking hard enough to make you cry out as his fingers find their way between your legs, slipping easily into your already wet heat.