Chapter 379: Sister In Law?
Racheal blinked in surprise. She had fully expected Damian to take Clara’s side without even considering her concerns. Instead, he had calmly acknowledged both perspectives, neither dismissing Clara’s struggle nor rejecting her warning.
She slowly sat upright on the bed, her eyes never leaving her husband as though she were looking at a stranger wearing his face. Ever since Lith’s death and the incident with Hagrid, everyone in the household had instinctively given Damian space. They had spoken to him when necessary, but none of them had truly approached him the way they used to. The quietness surrounding him had become something they all respected.
Truthfully, she had prepared herself for anger. After everything that had happened, she expected resentment or at least frustration when he finally addressed her directly. Yet there had been none. His voice remained steady, his expression composed and, strangely enough, gentler than she remembered.
Damian simply picked the tablet back up and continued scrolling through the latest reports. Headlines covering Lebanon, international reactions and fresh unrest throughout the Middle East reflected across the screen while he silently absorbed every piece of information. Across the glass table, Rin quietly padded toward the edge, his golden eyes remaining fixed on Damian.
"Wrath will most likely send demigods into Lebanon first," Rin said thoughtfully. "If they can resist the United States’ intervention through one unexplained victory after another, they could slowly pull the people back into their fold."
"True..." Racheal interrupted before Damian could answer.
Rin immediately shot her an annoyed glare, but she ignored him completely.
She crossed the room, reached down and gently took the tablet out of Damian’s hands before placing it face down on the glass table. Without asking permission, she settled herself comfortably on his lap and loosely wrapped both arms around his neck, forcing his attention away from politics and back toward the people waiting for him inside this room.
"Your intentions are good," she said quietly while looking into his eyes. "But in the end, might is still right. If the Blood Dunes gain the upper hand in this conflict, the people may slowly return to Wrath out of fear."
Damian considered her words for a brief moment before nodding. A small smile appeared on his face as one arm naturally found its way around her waist.
"You want to come?" he asked.
Racheal’s eyes immediately brightened.
"Of course I want to come." She pouted slightly. "I’ve been bored for a long time. You barely spend any time with us anymore."
There was no accusation in her voice, only quiet disappointment. She understood why he had become so consumed with everything happening on Earth, yet understanding it did not make her miss him any less.
Damian could only smile helplessly. He reached up and gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face before softly rubbing her cheek with his thumb.
Behind them, Rin let out an exaggerated growl of annoyance, making it abundantly clear that he disapproved of being ignored once again.
Racheal paid him no attention whatsoever. Her entire focus remained fixed on Damian’s face as though she were trying to memorize every feature she had missed over the past several weeks.
"Be patient, okay?" Damian said softly. "This is my world. That’s why I have to get involved personally. After this... we’ll have all of eternity together."
He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss upon her cheek.
After that, he attempted to stand, intending to return to the matters waiting for him, Racheal stubbornly tightened her arms around his neck and shook her head with an unmistakable look of refusal.
"No," she murmured. "Not yet."
Before he could react, she leaned closer and rested her forehead lightly against the side of his neck, holding him in silence as her fangs sank in.
Damian gasped as an unexpected wave of pain and pleasure surged through him. The strength in his body seemed to melt away almost instantly, forcing him to draw slow, uneven breaths as he struggled to adjust to the strange sensation of his blood being drawn toward his neck. With every gentle bite, he could hear it all. The quiet rhythm of her drinking, the steady rush of blood flowing through her veins, even the soft, measured beating of her heart echoed vividly within his mind.
It felt as though the boundary between them had vanished. As though they had become one.
To think he had gone so long without her.
’I missed you. Send the fox away. We need some time alone.’ Her voice whispered directly into his mind, and the slow, warm breath escaping her nose against his neck only scattered his thoughts further, leaving his mind in complete disarray.
Holding her a little closer while gently stroking her back, Damian slowly lifted his gaze toward Rin, a knowing look settling in his eyes.
"You wouldn’t dare!" Rin growled.
Puff!
Before the little fox could even finish protesting, he vanished in a puff of purple smoke, disappearing from the room entirely.
Only then did Racheal pull away, Damian’s blood trailing down the corners of her lips.
"You just wanted to get rid of Rin so you could talk to me in private," Damian said in an unsurprised tone.
Every emotion and desire lay bare before him now, regardless of who they belonged to. Only now did he truly understand how Lin Qui had always remained so calm and graceful. He could perceive what everyone felt long before they themselves realized it, while keeping his own emotions and desires perfectly under control. Racheal’s strongest desire at this moment was privacy, not intimacy, which told him immediately that something else was weighing on her mind.
Racheal nodded slowly. She wasn’t surprised by Damian’s reaction. This was exactly how Lin Qui had always been, and it was one of the many reasons they had all fallen in love with him. He understood them before they ever needed to say a word.
"Hazel is sorry she never told you about Hagrid. But the only reason Hagrid tried to kill Lin Qui was because he blamed him for stealing his sister away from Greed. None of us imagined that resentment would carry over to you."
"Okay," Damian replied simply.
"Okay?" Racheal blinked in surprise.
She had been expecting a lecture, an accusation, or at the very least a complaint. Instead, she received nothing but that single word.
"As long as the three of you don’t have any other siblings or parents secretly plotting to kill me without my knowledge, we’re cool." He shrugged.
Racheal immediately burst into laughter. Covering her lips with one hand, she turned her face away as the laughter escaped her uncontrollably.
"No, there aren’t any." She laughed before suddenly freezing in place, her eyes widening as though she had just remembered something important. "Well... except for Ruby’s little sister. She absolutely adores Lin Qui, so she might be a bit snubby and stabby when you come home for the first time."
Damian blinked in surprise.
"I have a sister-in-law?"