Honeyed Pasture baby, come give me something new.

I-I am dirty, she wailed, I don't want to be anymore. Her body, every inch of it, had been tainted with her own permission. Everything — all of this — had been her fault. 

She had never been under any obligation to act so proud, but she had! And what would come of it? This time, there would be no escape. Their union would surely bear fruit, the consequences of which would trap her for a lifetime.

What would Astaroth think, if he knew the truth? How would he feel about her past, about the things she had allowed to happen? Ying knew that he would see her differently, and that things would change. She fought the urge to press into his touch; rather, she remained stiff, trembling and squirming beneath the weight of her own discomfort.