Chương 215: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 215 - Maybe We Should Just Throw Him Away

Anna's face was already flushed a deep, burning red. Her lashes trembled. Her lips parted slightly, her gaze soft and unfocused. Even fresh air wasn't enough to shake the dizzy warmth from her head. Just being held like this, just that — made her heart go numb. She had waited a long time for this day. She buried her scorching face in the crook of Su Nian's neck and stayed there a long moment before finally murmuring:"It's so hot... Brother... can we go inside?" The heat was just her excuse.

The room, in fact, was even hotter than the hall. But the hall was still brightly lit, and even with no one else around, being exposed under all that light made her feel horribly, unbearably shy. Su Nian needed no persuading. Without a word, eyes red with want, he drew back his leg and kicked the nearest door. What kind of garbage design was this? What was the point of an obsidian door if you had to crank some mechanism just to open the thing? The door exploded inward with a thunderous crack.

Obsidian bricks sprayed in every direction, many of them embedding straight into the corridor walls. Several found the portrait of the previous Dark Monarch and reduced it to rubble. It had been a portrait of a Dark Hydra. Now every single head had a brick lodged in it. The effect was deeply undignified. Hydras were legendary creatures, their fame only slightly dimmer than dragons. Though really, the lesser reputation came down to temperament, they were quieter, rarer.

In raw power, a fully-grown Hydra on its home ground could give even a dragon real trouble. The ancient ones could reach demigod territory. Su Nian glanced at it for half a second and moved on. He had more important things to attend to. The girl in his arms was soft and sweet, her face flushed pink as a peach blossom. The scent of her at his nose, the smooth give of her waist under his hand, both worked at him constantly, wearing him down nerve by nerve. Wearing a human shape did nothing to dull a dragon's hunger.

The fire was burning hot right now, and it wasn't the kind you could put out with a bucket or two of water. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. He wanted to devour her completely. Wanted to press her into himself until they were one thing, inseparable, forever. Though admittedly, the most straightforward method was off the table. He was two and a half meters tall. Anna was not. The size difference alone settled the matter.

Droy's Polymorph Potion had too many shortcomings, even if Anna could manage it, he wasn't willing to push that particular boundary. But there were other ways to thoroughly torment her. Su Nian was a product of the internet age. A virgin, technically. He knew nothing. He also, in a certain sense, knew everything. Between theory and practice, only one thing stood in the way. The room's furnishings were beautiful.

The previous Dark Monarch had clearly had taste, the colors were warm and harmonious, the whole space feeling like coming home. He carried Anna to the edge of the bed. She was perfectly still in his arms, quiet as a little rabbit. Just curled there against him. Her big, round eyes were fixed on him, wide open and unblinking. Shyness in that gaze. And underneath it, a flutter of nervous anticipation. That look should be illegal. Su Nian held himself together and set her gently down on the bed.

But before he could pull his hand back, Anna wound around him like an octopus.

"Brother..." Her voice dropped to barely a sound.

"Don't tell me you..."

"... were just going to leave?" Her burning cheek rubbed softly against the back of his hand. That small, warm breath against his skin. It wasn't really words, it was a confession, quiet and unguarded, the kind that said she was willing to give him everything. He felt it clearly. And because he felt it, he slowed down. Somewhere deep inside, the draconic hunger pulled back, miraculously, like a flame suddenly banked. He smiled.

"Leave? Not a chance."

"Let's see how you handle what's coming." He stretched out on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. Then, with one easy motion, he scooped Anna up and settled her across his lap.

"Ah—" She gasped, caught off balance, her small hands flying instinctively to his shoulders to steady herself. By the time she understood what had happened, she was already draped across him, tucked against his chest, legs bent sideways, both her calves resting in his grip.

"Brother, you—" She looked down. His chest filled her entire field of view. Her heart lurched. She looked up instead and found those burning, wolf-bright eyes looking straight back at her. She was the one who had pushed for this. She knew that. But now that it was happening, all her boldness had evaporated. She had no idea where to put her eyes. Shyness moved through her like heat, climbing fast. Even the soft pink tips of her fox ears had gone rosy.

And that warm hand, wrapped around her calf, the warmth didn't stay there. It crept upward, seeping all the way into her chest, as if her heart had been lowered into a hot spring and wrapped in gentle currents on every side.

"What's the matter, Anna?"

"Weren't you the one clinging to me just now? Wouldn't let me go?" He pressed a finger under her chin, tilting her face up. No avoiding it. Nowhere to look but his eyes. Anna couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Indescribable mortification settled over her entire body. She bit down on her lower lip, trembling faintly from head to toe. Like a fawn caught out in the open. Is it starting? Then Su Nian's mouth curved, and he said:"Anna. Did you put on weight?"

"Your waist feels a lot softer than I remember." Anna: "..." This dragon was a lost cause. Time to throw him out. ➤ Next: Tavern Encounter — Words Unspoken