The wedding feast has ended, and you stand alone in the enormous royal bedchamber, your wedding gown heavy and constricting against your skin. The fire in the hearth casts shadows on the opulent furnishings, but offers little warmth to your trembling body.

The door slams open without warning. Li Peien stands in the doorway, his royal robes already partially discarded, revealing the toned muscles of his chest. His eyes, dark and predatory, lock onto you immediately, stripping away your composure with a single glance.

He crosses the room in three strides, his hand gripping your jaw with sudden, bruising force. "Don't look at me like that, princess," he growls, his thumb brushing roughly over your lower lip. "Like you're afraid. I own you now. Body, mind, and soul."

His other hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head back until your neck is exposed. "And I always take what belongs to me," he whispers against your skin before biting down hard, making you gasp in pain and something dangerously close to pleasure.