Chapter 50
"Lia" said Runyu softly at breakfast. "The Spring Festival starts tonight."
Li-Hua's eyes widened. "Are we going to go watch the fireworks?" she asked excitedly.
Runyu cleared his throat and looked away. "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind" he replied.
Li-Hua tilted her head to the side. She was puzzled.
"We can do whatever you want to do" she offered. "I'm sure I will enjoy it" she said confidently.
Runyu coughed again, his face flushed. "I hope so" he murmured under his breath.
That whole day Li-Hua wondered what surprise Runyu had in store for her. He was being so mysterious.
As the sun finally went down, Li-Hua eagerly went in search of Runyu. He had said to meet him in his bedroom at dusk.
She knocked on his door. "Runyu?" she asked. "Are you there?"
She heard him clear his throat. "Come in" he said.
She opened the door to see him sitting on the bed in a light robe that hung open to his waist. His long hair was completely let down.
"Oh!" She looked down at the floor. "Do you need more time to get dressed?" she asked awkwardly.
"No" replied Runyu. "Close the door and come sit next to me" he said gently, patting the bed.
Li-Hua started to feel nervous. She had never seen Runyu this underdressed before.
She sat down on the bed delicately where he had indicated. Runyu turned towards her and held her hand.
"Lia" Runyu began, "now that the Spring Festival is here, you are of marriageable age. It is time for us to do what married couples do."
He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. Her stomach clenched. She looked up at Runyu, wide-eyed.
"I... uh... I..." she stammered, and then swallowed hard. She was so afraid to disappoint him. "I don't know how" she admitted in a whisper.
Runyu laughed lightly, squeezing her hand gently. "Don't be afraid" he reassured her.
He reached up to her hair, removing her hair pin. Her hair cascaded down, falling over her shoulders. He grasped her lightly by the chin, staring deep into her eyes.
"Lia" he said huskily. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asked. "Do you know how hard it has been to keep my hands off of you?"
Li-Hua chewed her bottom lip nervously. The expression in Runyu's eyes darkened. He lurched forward, pressing his lips against hers. He moved his hand from her chin to behind her head, his lips moving insistently over hers, coaxing them open. She felt his tongue thrust inside her mouth. Lightly, at first, running over her teeth. Then deeper, and deeper, his tongue penetrated into her mouth. His other hand moved to her back, and she felt herself being pushed down onto the bed, all the while his tongue and lips moving over hers.
He paused and lifted himself up to look down at her, his long hair falling around them both like a curtain. Slowly he untied the sash that held her dress closed. Then he laid himself down next to her on the bed, and leaned in to begin anew the onslaught against her lips.
She felt his breathing quicken as he released her mouth, only to begin moving his lips over her chin and face, then down to her ear. Lightly he grazed her ear with his teeth, making Li-Hua gasp. He smiled fiercely in dark triumph.
Runyu leaned in again, grazing his teeth over her neck in various spots, down to the nape. Then kissing and gently sucking her skin at the neckline to the hollow of her throat.
Li-Hua felt like she could not control her breathing. Her heartbeat was as fast as if she had run a race. Strange sensations were running through her body, heating her skin everywhere, pulsing towards her lower abdomen. She stared up at Runyu, bewildered. She was helpless in his thrall.
He leaned over her, holding his weight on one elbow. With his free hand, he slowly peeled back the top flap of her dress, exposing the skin of her left shoulder. He leaned in and started kissing and licking her there too. He bit her lightly on top of her shoulder, causing her to emit a low noise from the base of her throat. She had never made a noise like that before. It appeared to excite him.
He untied the sash that kept the right side of her tunic closed, and flipped it open. Her entire chest was now exposed to the air. Runyu swallowed hard, staring at her breasts. He leaned down to kiss them the way that he had kissed her mouth. When he grazed his teeth over her hardened nipple, Li-Hua moaned again, louder this time.
Runyu tugged at her underskirt with one hand, pulling it down, pulling it off. Li-Hua shyly put her hands over her lower abdomen, trying to cover her nakedness. Runyu leaned in and kissed her hands. She gasped loudly, shocked.
Mercilessly he moved her hands, and then kissed her on the skin of her lower abdomen, moving further down to her labia. She gave a deeper moan. Her hands moved of their own volition to clutch at his head. His long black hair draped over her naked hips, tickling her skin, as he teased her with his tongue and lips.
"Runyu!" she gasped desperately. She didn't know what she needed, but she needed it now.
Runyu untied his own robe, revealing his naked body, which he draped over Li-Hua. He inserted himself between her legs, his expression turning feral.
"Ow! Ow!" yelled Li-Hua in surprise. It hurt! Runyu held himself still, his body shaking with the effort, his eyes closed in concentration. Slowly, agonizingly, he moved his pelvis against her. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Li-Hua's breathing hitched. Her hips twitched against him of their own accord.
"Lia!" He groaned, surprised. He moved his hips again, meeting hers, faster this time. Panting, he clutched at her shoulders with strong fingers. "Oh Lia!" he breathed into her ear.
Li-Hua moaned yet again. The sharp pain had diminished, and now there was an aching fullness in her lower abdomen. An enticing warmth spread throughout her limbs. She brought her knees up, until they touched Runyu's waist. He fell deeper inside of her, causing her to cry out.
Runyu started to slam his body against hers at a frenzied pace now, a low growl erupting from his throat. He held that pace for some time. Suddenly he froze against her with a loud cry, still deep inside her. He stared off into the distance, transfixed, as scalding hot liquid burst inside of her abdomen, the fullness inside of her twitching. He remained there for a long moment, before collapsing on top of her with a contented sigh.
"Oh Lia" he breathed, holding her close. His tail lashed, hitting the bedpost. At some point, he had changed into dragon form.
He kissed her on her shoulder, and then rolled sideways off of her to lay next to her on the bed. He brought his arm up to rest over his forehead, and his breathing slowed to normal.
Li-Hua tugged at her dress, trying to untangle it to wrap it back over her naked figure. Between her legs she could feel a warm liquid oozing out of her. It felt similar to a heavy day of menstruation.
Awkwardly she looked over at him. He seemed to have no difficulty laying next to her completely exposed. His chest was dotted with scars of varying size and shape. She surmised that he must have seen his share of battle.
With alarm she noticed the blood smeared on the white pearlescent scales of his lower abdomen. Was the liquid coming out of her blood? She looked down, but she had already covered herself. She looked back at the blood on him. There didn't seem to be any protrusions on his serpentine body. Something had definitely gone inside of her, but what? She frowned, puzzled.
She flicked a glance at his face and noticed that he was looking at her with a bemused expression. Quickly she turned her head away, blushing. She heard him give a small laugh, and then shift his weight on the bed. She felt his hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him again, and saw that he had rolled over to face her, his weight supported on one elbow.
"It's okay, Lia" he told her gently, patting her shoulder. "You don't have to be embarrassed."
She nodded at him to show that she understood, but she still felt awkward.
"I...uh...need to get cleaned up" she told him, her voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded at her, his expression understanding. Li-Hua quickly sat up and climbed out of the bed. Walking briskly, she headed towards the bathing chamber. Once she had left the room she breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't stay in Runyu's presence right now. The experience had been too overwhelming. The liquid inside of her was running down her thighs as she walked. She couldn't wait to wash it off.
The air in the bathing chamber was warm and humid. She untied her dress and removed it, draping it over the side of the stall, and then tied her hair up over her head with her hair stick. She scrubbed at her skin from a small stool. There seemed to be a lot of blood.
She tried to remember what her mother had told her would happen when she lay with her husband as man and wife. It was several months ago now, the memory was fuzzy. It seemed like Mother had said she would bleed a little bit, and that it would take her almost a week to heal. She looked down at her thighs.
"Is that a 'little bit' of blood?" she asked herself. She scraped off a handful and guided it down the drain. After she had rinsed and scrubbed and rinsed again, she finally felt ready to look at her dress.
It was ruined. The inside layer of the peach colored silk was soaked with a large blotch of blood that was darkening to a rust colored brown. She might be able to get some of it out with salt water, but probably not all of it. She sighed dispiritedly. She had really liked this dress.
She looked across to the long rectangular bathing pool. The warm steam arising from the pool's surface was inviting. Maybe a good soak was what she needed. She eagerly stepped into the hot spring-fed pool. The pool was deep enough that it came to just below her breasts. The water felt good on her naked skin, except for the stinging sensation between her legs. That area was still raw. She placed her forearms on the side of the pool, cushioning the side of her face, and then let her body drift in the water. She closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh.
