Rory opened her eyes—and found herself staring straight into Xarion’s frost-laced, strikingly handso face.
His white hair spilled across the bed, and he gazed at her quietly.
When he saw that she was awake, his glass-like eyes blinked once, and a faint smile slowly spread through them.
"Female Master, you’re awake." His voice was weak as ever, yet it carried a rare note of delight—almost excitent. "Can we form a bond now?"
The sooner the better. Quick and clean. He wanted it done.
"Xarion?" Behind Rory, Yuel stirred awake. Still groggy, he looked at the man who had sohow appeared on Rory’s bed, confusion clouding his eyes.
Why was Xarion here?
Rory looked at Xarion—who was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts—then turned her head to glance at Yuel’s arm draped possessively around her waist.
Her sluggish brain rebooted instantly. "Xarion, what are you doing in my bed?!"
She reacted without thinking and kicked him off.
"Rory, don’t—" Fully awake now, Yuel tried to stop her—but he was too late.
"Ah—! That hurts!"
Rory clutched her backside, staring in disbelief as Xarion rolled across the floor, then calmly got back up and shuffled closer again.
Her mind was full of question marks.
She had kicked Xarion. He had landed on his rear.
So why did her butt feel like it had been split in two?!
"Rory, are you alright?" Yuel asked anxiously, reaching toward her.
She slapped his hand away. Xarion, too, looked worried.
He knew his own ability. He knew exactly how much that kick must have hurt her.
Rory yanked the blanket up around herself, one hand still clutching her aching backside, her mind in total chaos.
"What is going on?!" Since she refused to let him examine her, Yuel lowered his hand and explained.
"Xarion has an ability. Any harm inflicted on him is reflected back to the attacker—multiplied."
There was such an ability?!
Rory stared at Xarion in shock. Xarion, anwhile, looked at Yuel with equal surprise.
"How do you know I have that ability?" He hadn’t told anyone about it.
Yuel ignored him and focused on Rory again. "Rory, are you really alright? Let check the injury."
That kick hadn’t been heavy when it hit Xarion—but she was a female, and the backlash would be amplified.
Xarion nodded earnestly. "Female Master, the damage rebounds at a higher level. You should let him examine you."
Downstairs, Vincent and Jasper, having heard the commotion, hurried over.
"Rory, what happened?" Vincent strode to the bedside, his gaze sweeping over Xarion slumped nearby before settling on Rory, who was wrapped tightly in blankets.
Jasper frowned deeply at Xarion. "Xarion, what are you doing here?"
When had he woken up? The fish and flowering aquatic plants in the artificial lake outside were still frozen solid. Couldn’t he stay quiet for one mont?
Rory clutched her backside and refused to speak.
Yuel rubbed his temples and explained the situation to Vincent and Jasper. The mont they heard Rory had been hurt, both n looked at her with alarm.
"Rory, let see how serious it is," Vincent said imdiately.
Jasper shoved Xarion aside and leaned closer. "Rory, does it hurt badly?"
Yuel added gently, "Rory, please let check."
Four pairs of worried, intent eyes stared at her. Rory’s lips twitched violently.
She had to take off her pants in front of all four of them?! How was that any different from squatting in the middle of a public square?
She could accept having multiple partners. But this level of intensity? Absolutely not.
Rory still had dignity. She would rather die of pain than die of embarrassnt.
"I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore. Not at all."
The mont she said she wasn’t in pain, Xarion imdiately shuffled forward, eyes shining with expectation.
"Female Master, since you’re not in pain anymore... can we form a bond now? I feel like I’m in decent condition today."
After sleeping last night, his ntal turmoil did feel slightly reduced.
Vincent, Jasper, and Yuel all shot him cold, razor-sharp looks. None of them had officially bonded yet.
And this latecor wanted to jump ahead of them?
Dream on.
Vincent very much wanted to kick Xarion out of the room, but rembering that infuriating ability of his, he restrained himself.
Rory felt like she was losing her mind. She stared at Xarion’s hopeful face and enunciated five words slowly: "At this point, I’d rather bond with your freaking uncle instead!"
"Uncle?" A look of confusion appeared on Xarion’s handso face.
He answered coldly, "Female Master, that may be difficult."
"My grandfather only had one son—my father. I don’t have an uncle. But I do have an older brother. Would you like him instead?"
Rory’s lips twitched again. She covered her face, half wanting to cry, half wanting to laugh.
Madness. This was absolute madness.
"Vincent, throw him out. And contact the Snow Domain’s Grand Elder imdiately. Return him. Return the dowry too."
There truly was no free lunch in this world.
Xarion wasn’t a windfall. He was a bottomless abyss.
Vincent grabbed Xarion and tossed him onto the living room sofa. Xarion slumped there like a corpse, one arm dangling limply, eyes still faintly confused.
"Female Master really insists on bonding with my uncle? My older brother won’t do?"
He truly didn’t have an uncle.
Vincent pressed his fingers to his temple. "Oh my God... Be quiet."
Xarion fell silent instantly. Vincent stood over him, looking down coolly.
"Do you know your ability went out of control last night?"
"Out of control?" Xarion had no mory of it at all. He shook his head. "No."
Then he asked, "Did I cause any trouble this ti?"
The calm way he asked made Vincent’s eyelid twitch sharply. "Does your ability go out of control often?"
Xarion tilted his head. "Not often, I suppose. Once or twice a month."
Once or twice a month wasn’t often?! Even the ever-composed Second Prince nearly cracked.
"How did the Snow Domain handle it before?" Vincent asked.
With power that destructive, it was a miracle anyone there was still alive.
Xarion replied casually, "I live near the border closest to the Fire Domain. When I’m conscious and feel it coming, I run to the molten river there and soak in it. I co out after stabilizing."
"If I lose control while asleep, the Snow Domain contacts Paros. He throws into the molten river."
The intense heat counteracted the freezing surge, preventing harm to both domains.
Xarion suddenly rembered sothing and looked at him curiously. "Usually, it takes a day or two to recover. Why did I stabilize so quickly this ti? How did you help ?"
There was only one Rank Eleven here besides him.
Vincent replied evenly, "I didn’t help you. I only prevented your freezing power from spreading. It was Rory. She soothed you."
"What?!" Xarion bolted upright like a resurrected corpse. "You let Female Master soothe while I was out of control? That’s extrely dangerous!"
What if she had been hurt?
If possible, Vincent wouldn’t have allowed it either.
But by the ti he arrived, Rory was already in the middle of soothing Xarion. Interrupting her would have endangered them both.
Xarion stood up abruptly. "I need to see Female Master."
User Comments
0 comments from readers