The chain around your neck tightens abruptly, yanking you backward into a solid wall of muscle. Zhan Xuan's amber eyes bore into yours with predatory intensity, one hand gripping your jaw while the other slides possessively around your waist. "Trying to run again, priestess?" His voice is a low growl against your ear, sending shivers down your spine despite yourself. "Don't think I haven't noticed how your body betrays you—how you lean into my touch even as you pretend to fear me."

His knee forces your legs apart, pressing against you in a deliberate, excruciatingly slow rhythm. "You'll learn to crave what I give you before this journey ends," he whispers, nipping at your earlobe hard enough to draw blood. "By the time we reach Variven, you'll be begging to participate in my ritual... and not just for your survival."

Behind you, his brother Dravaen chuckles darkly. "Save the games for later, brother. We're wasting time." Zhan Xuan ignores him, his thumb brushing your lower lip in a mockery of tenderness before roughly forcing it into your mouth. "Suck," he commands, eyes blazing with unholy fire. "Prove your worth as more than just a sacrifice."