The Last Concubine

face of his yearning.
    Alone except for Ning, of course. Ning was a comfort but also a goad, pushing, chattering, wondering, and gossiping.
    Earlier that day Ning had decided that Lan’xiu needed to brush up on his swordplay and made him breathless in their practice session.
    “Is it I or you who needs to practice?” Lan’xiu had asked tartly.
    “Perhaps both. I do not wish to get fat,” Ning said complacently. “Eunuchs are prone to gain weight, you know.”
    “And so you torment me to achieve your own ends,” Lan’xiu grumbled.
    Ning merely grinned at him, making a hole between his thumb and forefinger and sliding his other thumb in and out. “Not all exercise is the same, is it? It takes two to—”
    “Shut up!” Lan ordered crossly. “Go away. I want a bath. Prepare hot water for me.”
    “Very well. I will have the fires lit.”
    Ning left the room, and Lan’xiu was able to put off his false smile. He hoped that even Ning could not guess what terrible thoughts haunted him. In his own home, before his mother had died, Lan had been permitted to ride his horse free through the long grasses, the wind in his hair, going where he pleased. Slowly the nets of intrigue had been drawn more closely about him, and he realized too late what fate his brother planned for him. And now here he was, trapped in a harem where, if the truth were known, he had no right to be, waiting for a man who likely had never given him a second thought. Lan had worn his chosen disguise for so long that until Hüi had ripped it off, Lan had almost forgotten who he truly was. Now his body was alive with need and want, and his soul craved the love he thought he had felt in Hüi’s arms.
    It was a poor comfort to rejoice that no other wife enjoyed Hüi Wei’s company tonight either, but it was all he had to cling to. Lan wondered where Hüi was and what he was doing, envying the freedom that allowed him to come and go at whim.
    The door opened, and expecting Ning’s return, Lan’xiu did not turn around. Terror flared within him when hands larger than Ning’s grabbed him roughly, squeezing his shoulders so hard they hurt.
    He was spun violently to face his captor, struggling feebly to free himself until he saw it was Hüi Wei. A welcoming smile died on his lips at the intent look in Hüi’s eyes.
    Hüi ripped the hanfu down, trapping Lan’xiu’s arms and baring his throat and shoulders. Then he bent his head and bit sharply into the crook on Lan’s neck, soothing the sting an instant later with his tongue.
    Then Hüi drove his tongue so deep into Lan’s mouth, he thought he might suffocate. Lan breathed hard through his nose, allowing Hüi to ravage his mouth, bite his lips, suck his tongue so hard it hurt.
    “On your knees!” Hüi ordered in a deep, thick voice when he ended the kiss. He forced Lan down.
    Lan swayed, his arms still trapped in his hanfu, his face inches from the bulge Hüi was struggling to free from his trousers. Lan could smell the musky scent of arousal. He could feel the heat on his cheek.
    Hüi succeeded in freeing his cock and pushed it against Lan’s lips. Obediently, Lan opened his mouth. He felt a hand on the back of his head, forcing him to take in the hard shaft. He relaxed his throat, breathing through his nose so as not to gag, afraid that Hüi would push his cock right down.
    Hüi set up a rhythm, pushing his cock between Lan’s lips, forcing the young man to swallow it all. Lan tried desperately to give pressure with his lips and tongue, instinctively divining what his master desired. Some demon of lust seemed to be driving Hüi, and Lan didn’t understand it, but it made him happy to feel so desired.
    Abruptly, Hüi withdrew from Lan’s mouth and gave another order. “Bend over. Stick your ass in the air.”
    Lan struggled to free his arms but felt his face pushed into the carpet and his hips lifted. Hüi lifted the skirts of his hanfu, and there was a ripping sound as he rent the silken panties Lan wore. Lan flinched when a hand landed hard on his ass, and the sound of the slap was sharp in the quiet room.
    He gasped at the feel of something hot and wet against his hole. He was in no position to look, but it had to be Hüi’s tongue, licking at him, pushing inside him. He had never felt anything like it. Hüi’s hands and cock were hard; this invasion was soft and velvet, setting up soft waves of unknown pleasure. Soft lips applied suction and the humming started. The vibration