Chapter 313: Love Confession

By the time they got back to the mansion, Aria had shifted away from Zyren, doing her best to tame her hair. She dragged her fingers through the unruly strands again and again, trying to smooth them down, flatten them, force them into something presentable. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to realize that she had been sleeping with Zyren—least of all Liora.Her lips still felt a bit swollen to the touch as she reached up and placed her fingers against them.

This is a disaster, she thought grimly. An absolute disaster.

But the more she tried to fix it, the more annoyed she became. Her movements grew sharper, more frustrated, until she finally shot Zyren a glare. Her hand moved to her neck, fingertips brushing over tender spots that throbbed faintly beneath her touch. She winced slightly. They were bound to be red, bound to be visible, and there was no way she could hide them completely.

He really had no restraint at all, she thought bitterly. None.

Zyren, on the other hand, looked thoroughly pleased with himself as he sat opposite her. He leaned back comfortably, posture relaxed, almost lazy. One of the buttons on his shirt was undone, revealing just enough skin to make it obvious that he hadn’t bothered fixing himself either. He didn’t seem affected by it in the slightest as he continued to send an infuriatingly smug smile her way.

Aira only glared harder at him, her eyes sharp and burning, but he didn’t look worried about it at all. In fact, the satisfied look on his face suggested quite the opposite. It was a look he wasn’t even trying to hide.

Arrogant bastard, she thought, grinding her teeth.

"You’re not going to fix that?" she asked him, her voice edged with irritation, not surprised in the least when he simply shook his head in response.

"You can fix it for me!" he replied easily with a hint of mischief in his gaze that showed that it was exactly what he wanted and what he was waiting for.

Aira stiffened instantly, painfully aware that the moment she went over to him, he would simply pull her into his lap again and do his best to continue where they had stopped.

Absolutely not, she told herself firmly.

He had done it once already, and that alone was maddening. The memory of it made heat curl uncomfortably in her chest as she stared resolutely ahead, waiting for the carriage to continue slowing down until it finally came to a complete stop.

The carriage did just that, the wheels grinding softly beneath them as it slowed. Aira was already shifting, preparing to get up and leave the moment it stopped, when she suddenly paused. Zyren spoke before she could move.

Seated with his legs wide apart and his arms by his side, taking up the entire space in the other side of the carriage. His long black hair slide down his shoulders even as his red eyes were fixed on her.

"We can be happy!" he said.

Something in his tone made her freeze. There was a seriousness in his gaze that she didn’t like—didn’t want to see.

"I..." he began pausing almost like he was searching for strength. "I can try!" he added.

Aira’s eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat as she stared at him, refusing to understand what he meant even though it was painfully clear. So clear that he wasn’t even trying to hide it.

For a second, she could feel her breathing slow to a crawl as she met his gaze, utterly stunned by what she saw there. If I didn’t know better, she thought, I’d think he was being genuine.

She half-expected him to laugh it off, to say something random, something flippant that would shift the attention away from the topic entirely. But then he spoke again.

"I’ve made mistakes! If you want me to pay for them, I will. I care about you Aira..."

Aira felt her eyes widen even further, her heart picking up speed so violently that she struggled to keep up with it.

"...I underestimated how much until I saw you get hurt. I want to protect you and—"

She couldn’t let him finish. Panic surged through her as she dashed over to him, wrapping a hand firmly over his mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence. She was unwilling to allow him to finish whatever it was he seemed intent on saying.

Her heart raced wildly in her chest as she looked down at him. Zyren lifted his gaze to meet hers, his red eyes intense and unwavering.

"It’s the bond speaking! You’re saying absolute nonsense!" she snapped, her voice sharp. For a brief, irrational second, she wondered if a Zygon had somehow possessed his body.

She didn’t stop there.

"Your heart is too cold to feel anything for anyone. You kill without feeling and without remorse! You are nothing but a monster!"

She expected him to flare up, to snap back at her, to bare his fangs and lash out. Instead, she was met with his calm, steady gaze, cool and unbothered as he fixed his eyes on her.

That, somehow, made her flare up even more.

She tried to back away from him, but the carriage was too small. She couldn’t stand up properly, which meant that while she was still covering his mouth, her back was bent awkwardly as she spoke down at him. The position only added to her frustration.

Without another word, she moved to leave, her movements rushed, almost frantic, as though she were being chased. She barely made it halfway before Zyren grabbed her hand, stopping her just before she could place it on the carriage door handle. He pulled her back gently but firmly as he spoke.

"You make it sound like both are mutually exclusive. Even monsters and beasts fall in love!"

For reasons Aira couldn’t explain, more anger welled up within her, hot and suffocating.

"Your sister loves you, and she eats humans!" he continued.

If looks could kill, Zyren would have been reduced to ashes on the spot. Silence followed his words, thick and heavy, filling the small space between them.

Aira was furious—furious that he wasn’t wrong, and even more furious because she would never admit that he was right. She jerked her arm out of his hold, staring at him with a glare sharp enough to cut, hating the genuine expression on his face.

"I got hurt, and you didn’t so much as show a hint of concern. I might as well be dead and—"

"You have an ability to heal and self-regenerate. I knew—no! I was sure you would be fine!"

The certainty in his gaze unsettled her deeply.

"You don’t know what love or care is... you have no—" she raised her voice, unable to help herself.

"Then show me!" he interrupted. "...I can learn! If you want something, I’ll do it!"

A faint, almost sad expression flickered across his face.

"If it’s the throne you want, then you can have it!"

Aira was too stunned to make a sound. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at him like he’d grown two heads. Her lashes fluttered as her mind struggled to process his words. Even when Zyren grabbed her arm, her first reaction wasn’t to pull away.

"If I could fix it and bring them back, I would!"

His red eyes glowed as they usually did, but this time there was something different in them—something that made her deeply uncomfortable.

She jerked her arm away, anger blazing across her face as questions flooded her mind.

Why?Why now?Why is he doing this?

She tried to figure him out, the same way she always did, searching for his motive, his goal, what he was trying to achieve this time.

For a split second, words failed her. She stared at him, and he stared back.

He didn’t speak again, as if he’d already said everything he intended to.

"...What if I want more than the throne?" she finally asked, bending over him until there was barely any space between them.

"...What do you want?" he asked, his voice low, carrying an almost desperate tinge that made her suspicious.

She paused only briefly.

"What if I want your life?"

"Sure! As long as I get to live with you!"

Her gaze turned icy.

"I mean your head. If I want you dead, would you—"

He chuckled softly, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close until their lips were barely a hair’s breadth apart.

"I want you, Aira," he whispered. "...All of you."

"I can’t have you if I’m dead."

She believed that part.

She tore herself away from him. This time, he didn’t stop her.

"You’re crazy!" she said quietly, the words trembling like a scream as she threw open the carriage door and stepped out before he could say another word.