Stolen by the Rebel King

39  Unforeseen Desires

"How… what do you mean?"

There was a whirlwind inside Daphne's head. She didn't have any knowledge about antidotes to help Atticus. Princess Cordelia had been right about one thing and that was that Daphne did not have much knowledge about the various medicinal herbs and their properties. The basics were easy enough and she recognized the more common plants, but that was just about it.

Never had she cursed her own lack of knowledge more than the present.

How could Daphne possibly be the cure?

Atticus let out a weak chuckle, though there was no joy in it. He swayed on his feet. All his blood was flowing downwards, and the lack of skin contact hurt felt like a physical wound. His wife needed to understand.

"Sunshine, you fed me a powerful aphrodisiac. I'm burning from within."

"No!" Daphne flushed and shook off his arm, ignoring the plaintive whine Atticus let out, as though she struck him in the face. She took several steps back in shock as the realization hit her.

"There's no way… Sirona said it wasn't… it didn't…"

Daphne remembered that Sirona had wanted to tell her something about adding that last ingredient, but in her anger she had shut her down. She wanted to smack herself― how could she have been so foolish? In her need for revenge, she had created an unprecedented disaster!

"You've really poisoned me now," Atticus wheezed out as if in great pain, "in body, mind, and soul."

His hand traversed down his body, gripping his tunic hard enough to tear it away.

Daphne gulped and protested. "I didn't mean to―"

"It isn't necessarily a bad thing," Atticus swiftly cut in.

He got up with much difficulty, coming over to where Daphne stood. Only, vertigo had hit him at a very bad time and they were soon toppled across the bed. Daphne struggled, but she didn't have the strength to push him away.

In the end, she was pinned under him, his knee wedged between her thighs, keeping them slightly parted.

With the position they were in, Daphne felt as though her heart was in her throat. This was a bad idea. She knew, without a doubt, that this was a dangerous position to be in. None of them had a clear mind right now, with Atticus affected by the aphrodisiac. And with how her own body was feeling feverish, she guessed that she wasn't safe from it either.

"Daphne…"

The way her name left his lips was almost sinful. Her chest heaved up and down heavily, in tune with her haggard breathing. Second by second, she could feel her own control start to slip from her. If she hadn't even had a drop of the aphrodisiac but was already feeling like this, she didn't want to imagine what Atticus was going through.

She wanted to help. This time, it really was her fault. But the only way to help him was not something she could afford.

'Think, Daphne!' She squeezed her eyes shut. 'There has to be another way.'

"Sunshine…"

Atticus's voice caused Daphne's eyes to snap open. Her eyes met his, their gazes colliding in a flurry of sparks and light. The gold of his irises had darkened almost to a bronze, laden heavily with pools of swirling lust and desire.

When his tongue darted out just slightly to dampen his bottom lip, Daphne gulped. This man was too skilled at seduction for his own good. Either that or the aphrodisiac was playing one too many tricks on Daphne.

"One kiss," he said, his voice barely even above a murmur. "Just one."

Daphne breathed in sharply at his words.

"I'll stop after, I promise."

Daphne said nothing but she had one moment of weakness.

Just one.

That small nod of her head was enough of a sign for Atticus. He leaned down and connected their lips without a moment's hesitation. When they touched, the heat that spread through their bodies felt different from what was caused by the aphrodisiac. It was like a welcomed fire that began to spread across their bodies.

Daphne had never locked lips with anyone before, much less a man. So at first, her actions were stiff. She kissed him back, or at least, she tried to, but she could not keep up with a man who seemed to have all the experience in the world.

While Atticus was considerate and took it slow, she did not miss the urgency of his movements. It was just barely restrained. The air crackled with tension, and when Atticus's fingers grazed the skin of her cheek to pull her closer, Daphne shivered in response.

Her eyes fluttered close and they kissed as if time had ceased to exist, lost in the intoxicating spell woven by the aphrodisiac and their newfound ― possibly artificial, possibly genuine ― connection. Every touch, every brush of lips, told a story of longing and a shared awakening. The walls between them crumbled, replaced by an unspoken understanding and a raw vulnerability.

When they finally broke the kiss, their breaths mingled, creating a shared space between them. Atticus looked at Daphne― in his eyes Daphne found wonder and a newfound tenderness. Her lips still tingled deliciously from the moment they had just shared. She had even forgotten to berate herself for enjoying that kiss.

His eyes darted down to look at her rosy, swollen lips before meeting her gaze again. She did the same, her lips slowly turning into a soft smile.

"You said just one," she said breathily.

"Sunshine," he replied, his voice equally as out of breath as hers, "do you know that you are basically asking the world of me?"

"You promised."

"Another, please," he whispered, his nose brushing against her neck.

Daphne gasped, moving her body slightly up as she did so, nearly pressing her chest against Atticus's. The sensation of his warm breath fanning against her skin sent bolts of lightning through her body from the point of contact.

"I'll do anything." Atticus began to pepper small kisses down her neck. His kisses were intoxicating. "I will do anything for you, Daphne."

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