97: HEAT

HEAT

Iris woke up in the middle of the night and felt her whole body burning, as if someone set her on fire.

She opened her eyes and panted slightly, as she got off the bed and put out the fire in the brazier. Sweat trickled down from her forehead and her curls stuck to the sides of her face, annoying her.

She was wearing a thin nightgown, but still, she was sweating profusely and she didn't know why she was like this. Her body was feverish. Did she get sick because she was caught in the rain this noon? How weak was her body actually?

Gritting her teeth, Iris went to the window and opened it, letting the cold wind enter her stuffy room, caressing her hot skin. Only then did she feel slightly better. It didn't last for long, though, because soon the fire in her intensified even more. She fell to the floor, panting wildly. Her legs couldn't support her body and she was trembling, unable to move an inch.

What was happening now?

Iris wanted to ask for help, but the only sounds that came out of her lips were pitiful whimpers. Something was wrong with her body and she knew it, but she didn't know the reason and why. She felt so suffocated.

Tears trickled down from her eyes, as fear crept in, the unknown was so terrifying.

Aside from the heat that she felt, her muscles became so tense and she started to feel uncomfortable. Iris tried to soothe her aching muscles by rubbing her hands on her thighs and her neck, but it didn't help much.

She breathed raggedly and jolted when she felt someone touch her shoulder. Their touch was soothing, which was so surprising.

Iris jerked her head to see whose hand it was and found Cane's complicated expression. He stared at her with his dark eyes, which looked like a pir of bottomless pits.

"C- cane…" Iris managed to mutter his name, but her voice was so hoarse, while she didn't know what to ask from him. "Pain… It is p- painful…" she cried, as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Her face was on his neck, which strangely assuaged the fire within her. She snuggled even closer, ignoring the fact that his body turned stiff.

Cane gritted his teeth with his arms plastered to his sides. He didn't push her away, but he didn't give her the comfort that she needed either, while this clueless girl kept rubbing her face against his neck. His eyes turned darker at her ignorance.

The beast inside of him was restless, knowing what she was going through at this moment. She was in heat.

Cane had been dreading this moment ever since the second he realized he had marked her.

"Please… my body is burning," Iris whimpered through her tears. "Please, call Grace… there is something wrong with my body…"

"No, there was nothing wrong with your body." Cane raised his arms stiffly, as he rubbed her back. "You are in heat," he told her.

However, of course, Iris couldn't hear that. All she knew was; she wanted to rub her skin against his, because it would help her to get rid of this pain. His skin was cold and comfortable, but it was getting harder for Cane to free himself from this temptation.

Her warm breath fanned against his neck and her lips were on his skin. He growled in a low voice, as he carried her to the bed.

Out of instinct, Iris wrapped her arms around his neck and didn't let him go.

"Look at me," Cane urged Iris to look at him, so she could understand what he was going to say. "You are in heat, Iris."

Iris liked the way he called her name and how it sounded in her ears, but didn't miss the knowledge that she was in heat and knew what it meant.

So, this was how you felt when you were in heat. Her father loved to torture those women in heat and exploited them even more by giving them to his men, while their mates watched in agony their women being defiled.

Cane's dark eyes bored into hers. "I can help you to alleviate the pain, but if I touch you, I will not hold back." His voice was low like gravel and grated like sandpaper, and every word caused shivers down her spine.

Iris was muddleheaded, the only thing in her mind right now was how to assuage this pain. "Please…"

Silence.

For a moment, Cane didn't say anything, he only met her pleading eyes before he moved away from her, which made her panic.

No. No. No. He wouldn't leave her, right?

"D- Don't go…" Iris tried to hold him back, she grabbed his hand and held on to him tightly. "I- I don't want you to hold back."

She tried not to think about what was about to happen. She tried not to think how painful it was the last time, because the pain that she was going through right now was far greater than that. She needed him and was aware that he was the only one that could help her.

Cane's eyes turned darker and colder, as he grabbed her thin nightgown and tore it apart, exposing her skin.

Iris felt so exposed when he did that, but this was not the first time he saw her naked and the heat intervened with her embarrassment, as she only lowered her head, but didn't let go of his hand.2

Cane twisted his hand and released himself with ease from her grip, but before Iris could take a hold of him again, he pushed her to the bed and wrapped the night gown that he just tore earlier around her eyes. He blindfolded her.

Iris cried out at the sudden movement and the darkness that suddenly surrounded her. She began struggling impulsively. She was afraid of the dark. She couldn't see a thing.

"Relax." His voice was brusque, as he caressed her cheek to calm her down.

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