Chapter 181
The provocative look in her eyes sent a chill racing up the back of his neck.
Giving up on trying to make sense of it, he bent down in front of his wife.
Dropping to one knee, he slipped an arm beneath her knees, and her slender arms naturally wound around the back of his neck.
He paused for a moment, steadying his breathing as the sweet scent of her skin seeped deep into his lungs. Then he wrapped an arm around her back and rose to his feet. The wolf stood up as well.
Varkas strode forward in long, purposeful steps, as though trying to shake off the beast that clung stubbornly to its master's side. The creature flashed an irritated look for an instant before hastily following after him.
"Not the front gate. Take the back entrance. I don't want to run into your siblings."
Talia whispered the words against his shoulder, where she had rested her head. Startled by her warm breath brushing against his jaw, Varkas silently changed direction toward the rear of the building.
"Are my siblings still treating you discourteously?"
"Lucas is fine. He gets on my nerves sometimes, but he knows basic manners. Your younger sister, though... she's really irritating."
"What exactly has Raina done?"
Perhaps sensing the coldness in his voice, she answered vaguely.
"It's not like she did anything major... She just complains about me to your retainers and sometimes starts childish arguments."
"I'll summon her personally and give her a proper warning."
"Don't."
She suddenly narrowed her eyes.
"If you step in, what happens to my dignity? It'll look like I ran crying to my husband because a child picked on me. Besides, I'm being just as nasty to her, so leave it alone."
My husband.
Varkas's brow furrowed deeply as the words echoed in his mind. He despised how easily a single careless remark from her could shake him.
Lengthening his stride, he climbed the staircase in only a few steps. He wanted to escape this turmoil as quickly as possible.
"How is your leg?"
Having crossed the corridor in moments, he asked the question as he stepped into the bedroom. Talia, idly playing with one of the metal ornaments on his shoulder, answered in a sleepy voice.
"It's fine. Just a little sore. More importantly..."
Suddenly, the arms around his neck tightened.
Varkas had been heading toward the long chaise beside the fireplace when he froze in place. Pressing herself firmly against his chest, she leaned close to his ear and whispered softly,
"Not the chair. Take me to the bed. I want to lie down."
Varkas jerked his head back and fixed her with a sharp glare.
Apparently amused by his reaction, she curved her catlike eyes into smiling crescents.
He knew that expression all too well.
Back when they had lived in the Imperial Palace, she had often worn that very same look whenever she toyed with men overcome by lust, wrapping them effortlessly around her little finger.
His lips flattened into a hard line as he carried her to the bed.
After setting her gently onto the sheets, he immediately turned to leave the room.
Her hand, however, clung to his shirt like glue.
"Where are you going?"
Her abundant wheat-blond hair lay scattered across the white sheets as she gazed up at him with moist eyes.
"This is your bed too. Lie down."
At last, his patience ran out.
Grabbing her wrist in a swift motion, Varkas pinned it firmly against the mattress.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
His voice came out as a low growl.
"...What did I do?"
A faint blush spread across her face, accompanied by a trace of unease.
Even that looked unbearably seductive, irritating him all the more.
"You drag me onto the bed... for what?"
His harsh questioning made her cheeks flush even deeper.
She nervously bit her lip before stammering,
"I... I just wanted you to get some rest. You've spent the last two years moving from one battlefield to another. Even after coming back, you've done nothing but work late into the night with official duties, so..."
"So you want us to lie in the same bed and take a nap together?"
The sarcasm in his voice made her eyes narrow sharply.
"Why? Is that not allowed?"
He slowly let his gaze travel over her.
The thin dress, rumpled from their movements, outlined every delicate, feminine curve beneath it.
It was hard to believe this was the same woman who had lain on this very bed two years ago, bleeding and growing paler by the minute.
Feeling unwanted heat tighten low in his abdomen, he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek.
Even in the past, he had never welcomed the physical reactions she stirred in him.
Now they felt almost revolting.
Pulling away from her, he spoke in a rigid voice.
"I don't need rest."
Then, fixing her with a suspicious look, he pressed,
"More importantly... why are you suddenly concerned about me?"
"You... you're my husband. Why is it strange that I care about you?"
Embarrassed by her own words, the tips of her ears turned bright red.
Yet Varkas found himself unable to laugh at her.
It felt as though something hot had lodged itself in his throat.
A moment later, he recognized the feeling.
Longing.
The instant that unwelcome realization crossed his mind, words he had repeated to himself countless times slipped from his lips.
"You once said that merely looking at me made it hard for you to breathe."
The color drained from her face in an instant.
Looking up at him with shadowed eyes, she slowly pushed herself upright.
Drawing her knees to her chest, she murmured quietly,
"...It doesn't anymore. Actually..."
Varkas remained perfectly still, waiting for her to continue.
Talia rubbed her knees anxiously before speaking again in a slightly hoarse voice.
"All this time... I've worried about you. This deployment... you were gone much longer than usual. You didn't come back for half a year..."
Still muttering incoherently, she began biting at her closely trimmed fingernails.
He gently caught her hand and studied her face.
"So... it doesn't hurt anymore to be with me?"
Avoiding his gaze, she darted her eyes away before finally giving a small nod.
Something inside Varkas—something he had barely managed to hold together—finally snapped.
He climbed onto the bed on one knee.
Sliding one hand into her thick hair, he gently stroked the pale nape of her neck, where her pulse fluttered rapidly beneath the skin.
Her breathing immediately became uneven.
She was clearly tense.
But she showed no sign of rejecting his touch.
Watching her reaction intently, Varkas cupped her small chin and brushed his thumb lightly across her split lower lip.
Her full lips parted, almost as if inviting him.
The familiar thirst burned through his throat once more.
Cradling her soft cheeks between both hands, he slowly lowered his head.
The moment his lips met her slightly parted crimson ones, her soft tongue timidly brushed against him.
Drawing that tender warmth into his mouth, he eased her back onto the bed—
Boom.
A heavy crash echoed through the room, followed by a burst of loud voices outside.
Startled by the sudden noise, she instinctively pulled away.
Varkas clenched his fists to keep himself from dragging her back into his arms and shot a glare toward the entrance.
The door shook violently, as though the hinges might give way at any second.
Varkas sprang to his feet and crossed the room in a single stride.
The moment he yanked the handle open, a massive beast burst through the doorway.
It shoved him roughly aside before leaping straight onto the bed.
Varkas stared at the magical beast in utter disbelief.
As though it belonged there, the enormous creature claimed the spacious bed for itself before burying its huge head against her.
"Khan!"
Wrapping her arms around the wolf, Talia looked at Varkas with obvious uncertainty.
Running a hand through his disheveled hair, Varkas turned his gaze toward the corridor.
The soldiers who had rushed over after hearing the commotion stood only a short distance away, staring in stunned confusion.
As the heat in his head vanished almost instantly, he silently straightened his rumpled clothes.