Chapter 117 Chapter 117: Veins and Air
\[Lilia\]
I froze, my mind racing with a thousand reasons I should push Kael away. My body refused to listen. I remained there as he kissed me without remorse, pouring all his anger into the assault on my lips.
Why is he doing this? Why is he making this so hard? I am slowly healing, mending my broken pieces, and now he’s destroying all my defenses with a single kiss.
Worst of all, I was furious at my own weakness. I had been doing so well, diverting all my attention into training to leave no space for him in my mind. Now, it was all crumbling.
“Let…go…of…me!” I gritted out, turning my head to break the kiss and pushing against him as hard as I could. Kael wouldn’t budge. Instead, his mouth trailed down my jaw, licking the column of my neck, and sucking at the juncture of my shoulder, eliciting a sharp gasp from me.
“I know you like this, doll,” he moaned, his hand traveling to my chest, squeezing my breast lightly. “I know you want me. Let’s not make this hard.”
“You bastard!” I growled, baring my teeth as I resisted. I refused to appear like some feeble whore surrendering to carnal lust.
“Stop resisting me, Lilia!” he roared, pinning both my hands to the couch next to my head. We were both heaving, gasping for air as I shot him my deadliest glare.
Does he really think I would just open my legs because I’m injured? Does he believe I’d let him violate me again just because he wants to?
“I am not a whore,” I snarled, spitting in his face. I felt a grim satisfaction as my saliva landed just below his eye. “Now, get off me!”
It caught him off guard. His grip loosened enough for me to wrench my hands free. Kael stared at me with disbelief and bewilderment.
A thick, tense silence enveloped us. Kael reluctantly pulled away and wiped the spit from his face, his gaze riveted on me.
“No,” he mumbled, taking a cloth from the cart to wipe his hands and face. “I suppose you’re not.”
It seemed no one had ever done that to him before. I was the first, and it scared me. I would be lying if I said otherwise. He terrified me. I had acted hastily, driven by pure impulse and anger.
Gathering my wits, I took a deep breath and stared him squarely in the eyes.
“I only let you bring me here because of your fiancée,” I said, trying to stand while ignoring the sharp pain in my foot. I sucked in a pained breath, balancing on my uninjured foot. “Now, if you’ll let me, I’ll be on my way.” I began a slow limp toward the door.
Kael shot out a hand to grasp my arm, halting me. “Stop saying that,” he muttered, his face contorted in a scowl.
“Stop what?” I groused, trying to yank my arm free.
“That she’s my fiancée,” he responded disdainfully.
I was confused for a moment, but I knew he could lie without batting an eye. He had declared it to everyone himself upon returning from Italy. Did he think I was that daft?
“Oh, is she not?” I sniggered, tugging harder until he let go. “As far as my two eyes can see, she wears your fancy engagement ring.”
Kael turned his head. Our gazes met, and I immediately knew that was a mistake. His eyes spoke with unspoken words—thousands of them I couldn’t decipher. Those mossy green eyes communicated directly to my soul, pleading for understanding even when nothing made sense.
“You have the pink diamond,” he said suddenly.
I didn’t know why he mentioned it, but one thing was certain: that piece of jewelry was tenfold more expensive than Sabina’s ring, worth more than my auction price.
“Do you want it back?” I asked, curious.
“No,” Kael shook his head, closing the gap between us. I wanted to back away, but my injured foot limited my movement. “It’s yours, doll.” He lifted his hand, grazing his knuckles lightly over my cheek.
His touch made my knees weak and my stomach flutter with anticipation.
“What am I to you, Kael?”
This was all so confusing. With Sabina as his fiancée, I didn’t know my place. I didn’t want to be his whore, just a woman to sate his lust. I knew he was hiding something.
“I want to know. Not just the pet you purchased at an auction, but what am I to you as a person?”
I didn’t know why I was asking, or if I was ready for the answer, but I was desperate. If he said I was nothing but his doll, I would accept it. I was ready. I’d been through the worst; I could handle it.
“You…” Kael breathed out, cupping my face, his thumb gently rubbing a bruise at the corner of my lip as I waited. “You are the blood that runs in my veins,” he murmured softly, his eyes gleaming with sincerity. “The very air I breathe.”
My heart skipped a beat, my stomach swirling, making me lightheaded.
“What?” I gaped, my brows furrowed in perplexity.
“You don’t understand now, but believe me, I am doing this for your safety.”
How was that supposed to explain anything? I stared at him uncertainly, my mouth pressed tight, unwilling to trust any word without thorough scrutiny.
“What really happened in Italy?” I asked, hoping he knew what I meant.
“Please forgive me, doll.”
That was all he said. Instantly, I took a step back as he started walking toward the door. But I wouldn’t let him get away that easily.
“Kael!” I screamed authoritatively, my voice ricocheting off the office walls. I didn’t know I could shout with such intensity.
Kael halted but did not turn. “I’ll send Val to get you. You can’t walk with that foot.”
I ignored him and limped closer, reaching for his arm to turn him toward me.
“Do you mean everything you said?” I asked tentatively, searching his eyes. I found my answer there, and my heart soared.
“I swear it on my mother’s grave, doll.”
He was telling the truth. I hated to admit it, but I knew he was.
A single tear escaped and rolled down my cheek without my noticing.
“Can’t you at least bring me to my room yourself?”