Desires & Heresy

Viviana and Zane talked for a few more minutes before falling into silence.

They had talked. Walked. Too long.

The streets were quiet now.

Viviana stood by her carriage, fingers resting on the door. She should have left.

But she hadn't.

Zane watched her from a few steps away, half-expecting her to leave without another word.

Instead, she turned, hazel eyes lingering on him. A pause. A hesitation.

"Allow me to take you back to the cathedral, High Priest," she said smoothly.

Zane tilted his head, amused. "It's only a short walk."

"A half-hour," she corrected.

She was giving him a reason. An excuse. A way to stay near him just a little longer.

His lips curved. "Then, I'll accept, Lady Viviana. It would be rude to refuse such kindness."

She turned away, stepping into the carriage without another word. Zane followed.

The doors shut behind him. A seal. A cage.

The carriage jolted forward, the sound of hooves clattering against wet stone.

The space was too intimate. Too warm.

The air inside carried the soft scent of expensive oils, fresh linen, and faint traces of her perfume.

Viviana sat with perfect posture, as expected of a noblewoman. But Zane noticed the way her hands curled in her lap, fingers tugging absently at the fabric of her sleeve.

Nervous.

Uncertain.

Her body betrayed her before her lips could.

"Strange," Zane mused, watching the passing streets through the window. "The cathedral is in the opposite direction."

Viviana didn't flinch. "The roads are poor this way. The driver is taking a different route."

A longer route.

A slower route.

Zane leaned back, letting a small, knowing smile tug at his lips. "How thoughtful of him."

The carriage rocked over uneven cobblestone.

A sharp turn—her knee brushed against his.

She should have moved. She didn't.

Another jolt—this time, their thighs pressed together.

Viviana's breath caught, lips parting as if to say something, but she only exhaled. Slowly, shakily.

She smoothed her dress over her lap, but the movement was useless. The warmth of him was already there, seeping through fabric, sinking into her skin.

She could feel the weight of his thigh against hers—firm, steady, unyielding.

The space between them felt smaller than before.

Zane didn't shift away. He let it stay. Let the heat between them build, unbearable and slow.

His voice was quiet, almost amused. "You're trembling."

Viviana's fingers twitched. "It's cold."

Liar.

Zane's hand moved.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Fingertips skimmed her wrist—the barest touch, a whisper over skin.

Viviana inhaled sharply, her pulse hammering beneath his fingers.

Higher now—up the length of her arm, over her shoulder, grazing the soft hollow of her collarbone.

His other hand, against her thigh. Warm. Waiting.

She should stop this. But She didn't.

The next sway of the carriage pressed them closer, his body angled toward hers, his heat licking against her skin.

And then—his fingers trailed lower.

Lower.

Over the curve of her chest.

Viviana's breath hitched.

Then—he touched her.

[Euphoric Touch (Activated)] 

His palm settled over the soft swell of her breast, tentative at first, as if feeling her shape beneath the silk.

She gasped, body jerking—but not away.

Zane didn't rush.

Didn't grope.

Didn't claim.

He tested.

Explored.

Her breasts were too big for his palm.

Soft. Heavy. Untamed beneath silk, plush flesh spilling against his fingers, as if meant to be held.

She sucked in a breath, body arching—just slightly, just enough to press deeper into his touch.

Zane's lips curled.

His thumb moved—grazing the nipple.

A single brush.

A tease.

Viviana shuddered.

Her fingers curled against the seat, knuckles going pale.

A sound slipped past her lips—not a moan, not a word. Just breath. Just surrender.

Zane's thumb moved again.

A second brush.

A third.

She whimpered, thighs clenching tight.

His fingers dragged over the hardened nipple, feeling it stiffen beneath the layers of silk.

And then—he pinched it.

Slowly.

Softly.

A single, deliberate roll between his fingers.

Viviana's entire body jerked.

Her thighs squeezed together, a broken gasp slipping free before she could stop it.

Zane did it again—this time, the other nipple.

Pinched. Rolled. Released.

A second time.

A third.

Her nails dug into her own lap. Her breath shattered.

[Velvet Whispers (Activated)]

"You're sensitive here too," Zane murmured.

Viviana didn't answer. She Couldn't.

Her lips trembled, parted just enough for air to pass through.

She was shaking now, breathless under his touch.

Zane's grip tightened at her hip, his fingers pressing into soft curves, holding her still. Trapping her.

And then—his hand moved lower.

Not too fast. Not too forceful. Just slow. Calculated.

His fingers traced the edge of her dress, playing with the silk.

Viviana's stomach clenched.

Then—he pulled.

Not enough to see.

But enough to touch.

The fabric bunched higher, shifting over her thighs, dragging against bare skin.

A sharp inhale.

Zane's fingers skated over smooth, untouched flesh.

Warm. 

So warm.

Viviana twitched beneath him, breath shaky, her entire body stiff with restraint.

His fingertips traced slow, lazy circles over her inner thigh.

Higher.

Higher.

Close.

Viviana's thighs clenched together. A weak, useless attempt at resistance.

Zane only chuckled.

Low. Dark. Smug.

"Don't run now," he murmured, voice sliding through her like honey. "Not when you've let me get this far."

Viviana whimpered.

His hand flexed against her thigh, fingers tightening—spreading her open.

A gasp tore from her lips.

She didn't stop him.

She let him.

And then—his fingers trailed higher.

A breath away.

So close.

Not touching—just lingering, letting her feel the heat of his palm against the damp air between her legs.

Viviana squirmed.

A helpless, instinctive movement—a desperate attempt to ease the unbearable ache sitting between her thighs.

Zane felt it.

Noticed it.

And smirked.

"Oh?"

His fingers stopped moving.

They didn't retreat. Didn't press forward.

They just stayed there.

A reminder of how deeply she was betraying herself.

Viviana bit her lip hard.

Zane leaned in, lips brushing against her ear.

"You're already wet, aren't you?"

Her entire body snapped tight.

Her breath hitched violently, heat flooding her cheeks.

Zane hummed, amused. Pleased with himself.

"Tell me, I'? right?," he whispered.

Viviana wanted to deny it.

But her body? Her soaked, aching body?

It had already confessed.

Zane smirked against her lips, dragging his tongue across the seam before pulling back just enough to watch her.

Swollen lips. Flushed cheeks. Clouded hazel eyes.

A woman undone.

Viviana felt herself shrink beneath that gaze, but there was no hiding.

Not here.

Not when her nipples still throbbed from his touch, not when her thighs were clenched tight against the slow, pulsing ache between them.

Not when she had already let him feel just how much she wanted this.

Zane exhaled, voice husky, satisfied.

His thumb brushed over her lower lip, wiping away the saliva that had spilled.

"You don't have to regret this," he whispered. "You just have to want more."

Viviana swallowed.

Because the truth was—

She did.

And that was the real sin.

The carriage slowed.

Reality returned like cold air rushing in.

Zane's fingers, still resting against her thigh, lingered for just a second too long—just enough to remind her of where they had been.

Then, he pulled away.

Effortlessly. Calmly. As if he hadn't just unraveled her.

A knock sounded from outside. The driver signaling their arrival.

Zane adjusted his robes, smoothing a crease as if nothing had happened. As if she weren't still trembling, still flushed, still soaking in the ghost of his touch.

He reached for the door, pausing only once—his amber eyes flicking back to her, dark and knowing.

"Shall we, Lady Viviana?"

[Eleanor Corruption: 78%]

[Viviana Corruption: 70%]

[Progression Reward: "Lingering Obsession"] - A woman touched by the Host can't stop thinking about him. The more she resists, the stronger the craving becomes.

[Time Left: 2 months, 10 days]