The Elusive and Enigmatic Male Lead (26)

Charles’s wound was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, the bleeding staunched automatically. Yet he couldn’t notice any of it. His entire mind, all his senses, seemed to focus solely on those soft lips. She kissed his wound—from his shoulder to his shoulder blade, then to his chest. Though the kiss carried no hint of desire—in truth, it was barely more than a gentle touch—Charles still found his breath constricted, his heart racing. His hand nearly tore his own shirt, his Adam’s apple bobbing restlessly, and when he glanced down, he saw that delicate golden head against his chest.

Si Jiu felt utterly exhausted. Seeing the last traces of Charles’s wound finally stop bleeding, her spirit slackened and she nearly collapsed to the floor. Strong arms tightened around her waist, lifting her into Charles’s embrace.

“Thank you,” Charles said, his face awash with emotions difficult to name. Even the dullest mind would notice her pale complexion and the miraculous change in his wound. “Your Highness, why did you…”

“Don’t ask. If you ask, I don’t know,” Si Jiu replied, blinking tiredly.

Charles gazed at her, receiving a soft, gentle smile from his princess, and asked nothing more.

After a brief rest, Si Jiu returned to the temple.

No sooner had her figure appeared at the main hall’s entrance than the black dragon swiftly turned to look at her. A tightness at her waist pulled her toward him.

She carried another’s scent. The black dragon detected it instantly.

Seeing the dragon’s large head nuzzling closer, Si Jiu lifted her hand feebly to push him away. “Stop it. Let me sleep a while.”

The black dragon watched her intently, his tail coiled around her waist with a possessive force, declaring his displeasure.

“Tired,” Si Jiu muttered.

At last, the black dragon released his tail, but then wrapped her in his wings.

Si Jiu, weary, closed her eyes and leaned against the dragon, falling into a deep, heavy sleep.

The dragon’s massive body shifted into human form; he gazed at the woman in his arms, his attention drifting to her lips.

There, the foreign scent lingered most strongly.

He had smelled this before—it belonged to the blond human male whose aura was akin to his own. The first time he saw him, the man had crossed the forbidden boundary and touched his offering, awakening the slumbering dragon. Yet, because they shared an origin, he had spared him.

The second meeting: the man touched his treasure again. This time, he truly wished to kill him, but his treasure would not allow it.

Now, it was the third time.

The black-haired man stared intently at Si Jiu, raising a hand to press against her bloodless lips, rubbing them gently.

Unaware, the girl slept as if she had fainted.

The man, as if bewitched, slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.

Soft, warm.

His eyes darkened, no longer satisfied with a simple touch. He parted his thin lips, tracing the shape of hers with the tip of his tongue.

[Ding! Golden Finger delivery in progress… Signing status, 1/2. Please complete the remaining delivery within 30 seconds. 30, 29, 28…]

She tasted fresher and sweeter than any food he had ever eaten, making his blood surge with excitement.

Unconsciously, he tightened his arms, almost embedding her entirely into his flesh.

If he swallowed her, then no one would ever covet his treasure again.

This dangerous thought thrilled him; in human form, his vertical pupils appeared.

Though he wore a human guise, every inch of him was filled with aggression and animal instinct.

Meanwhile, unable to rest easy about his princess’s safety, Charles—who had hesitated for a long time but finally followed—arrived just in time to see his princess being held and kissed by a black-haired man. The sight struck him like lightning.

The next second, he noticed the man wore nothing at all, while his princess’s eyes were shut, her hands limp at her sides, clearly unconscious.

Charles lost all reason in an instant and rushed forward without thinking.

“Let her go.”