Chapter 471: A Wife’s Charm

Nikolai narrowed his eyes while listening to Anya’s quiet breathing as she slept. Rain stitched the city together along the pavement lines. The Supra slid through them, gleaming red in the darkness. Anya sprawled in the passenger seat with a coat thrown over wrecked satin, cheeks flushed, lips swollen and glossy.

She looks like an angel when sleeping.

He brushed the sticky drool from her lips, the warm saliva smearing his fingertips as she shifted in the seat and batted his arm away in her dreamy state. “Nnnn….”

There wasn’t much talk after what happened in the alleyway. Anya looked at him with a beaming smile, then curled in the seat and closed her eyes.

The strange atmosphere also vanished.

Maybe she was jealous of Leona.

Nikolai’s grip tightened around the wheel. He knew Anya well enough by now: her confidence masked her fragile desperation to be noticed. The hunger she showed in the past wasn’t just lust but also the fear of him throwing her away. It reminded him of when she first became a hybrid… to prove she wasn’t useless or weak.

The rain poured heavier, drowning the neon signs as it bled down the windshield, each traffic light blurry and distorted. He let the Supra hum to a slower speed through the streets, keeping the car purring steadily to match Anya’s steady breaths.

She looked so at peace.

He couldn’t bear to ruin that.

The Supra rolled into the underground lot, its engine echoing off damp concrete before settling into silence. Nikolai killed the headlights and leaned back, listening to the tick-tick of the cooling hood.

“Anya,” he said softly, brushing her shoulder.

“Nnnn… Nikolai~ ehehe…” Her mismatched eyes cracked open, a red and blue slit, hazily watching him with sleep and satisfaction before she yawned. Anya clutched her coat tight around her shoulders before snapping her eyes open wider. “We’re back already…?”

“Mm.” He wrapped on arm beneath her exposed thighs, covered in bruises and marks from his ravenous lust, then pulled her into his arms, careful not to let her slip. She flopped against his chest, still sleepy but smiling like a pampered cat.

By the time they stepped into the lift, her arms were looped lazily around his. She didn’t speak, only rested her head against his chest, her perfume still laced with the musk of their earlier frenzy.

“…I smell like you.”

“Your breath smells like sperm.”

“W-What!?” She shook in his arms, ignoring his smirk as she breathed into her hand to check. Then she glared at him, pressing her finger against his nose. “You are a liar!”

“Hahaha.”

Nikolai couldn’t stop his laughter, even when she opened her mouth wide and bit his cheek, then licked his face with a huff.

“Serves you right!”

They arrived at the penthouse door after fighting in the life, Nikolai’s face covered in her spit, while she curled in his arms, victorious. The penthouse door clicked open. Warm light, faint traces of food, and the quiet hum of the city greeted them.

“Were home, finally… I need a shower, brrr, so cold.”

Nikolai slipped off his coat and glanced around while Anya dropped with a thud. When she tried to rush off to the bathroom, her legs trembled and she staggered, almost falling over a small shelf.

“You… you were too rough with me.”

Anya looked back with wet eyes, her hands holding the side to keep balanced.

“Didn’t you ask me to ruin you or something along those lines…?”

“Hmph!”

Although she huffed and turned away, he couldn’t help but notice her cheeks smile and the bounce in her steps. Anya’s temperament wasn’t something he saw for the first time; she liked to tease and act a little dramatic, the happier she was.

The living area was still, except for the faint glow of the television in the corner, muted with a strange animation playing.

Clara must have left it running.

From down the hall, he heard faint movement.

The door creaked, followed by the soft shuffle of bare feet. Leona.

Leona stepped inside the room with a warm smile.

She wore a simple frilly nightgown that was almost see-through, her feet wrapped in fluffy slippers.

“You’re finally home?”

Suddenly, Leona sniffed the air, causing Nikolai to freeze; the slight change in her expression was enough to make him anxious. “Did you have a pleasant time with Anya tonight?” Her words were a little colder this time.

Anya froze before slipping into her room, clearly abandoning him.

“Yeah, it was amazing.”

No need for lies, especially with his wife.

Her eyes opened wide, Leona’s lips curling into a sharp, vicious smile, but she nodded and rushed towards him. Leona’s arms wrapped around his neck before he could react. Her body pressed tight, soft warmth and the faint scent of flowers filling his senses.

“You reek of that vampire,” she whispered into his chest, voice muffled but teasing. “Perfume, sweat… and other things.”

Nikolai tilted his head down to meet her forehead, kissing her softly, surprised by the lack of aggression in her voice. “What do you want me to say? I won’t lie to you, Leo.”

Her nails dragged lightly down his chest just enough to make him twitch. Then she leaned up on her toes, kissing his jaw with a playful hum. “Say that I’m still your favorite.” Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight seeping through the window beside them.

“You’re so adorable… Hah,” he chuckled, hands slipping around her waist, squeezing through the thin fabric of her gown. “That’s unfair. You’re my wife and lovely Vampire Bride. Even all the women waiting back home cannot outrank you.”

Because Leona was his only vampire bride so far.

This seemed enough.

Leona squinted at him with a doubtful smile, searching for the cracks in his tone, but his eyes were too steady. She exhaled and let her forehead rest against his lips, hiding her delighted grin and the blush on her cheeks. “You smooth, cheating bastard. You know exactly how to keep me from clawing your face off.”

“Isn’t that part of my charm…?”

“Heh… this is part of your charm.” Her hand gripped his crotch, squeezing his bulge. “If this didn’t make me feel so good, I would tear it off right now!”

Her laugh was soft but genuine, and for a moment, the tension cracked. Nikolai stroked her lower back, fingertips tracing over the curve of her hips. She shivered, but instead of pulling back, she nuzzled into his chest, breathing him in.

“Did you get hurt today?” She asked softly.

“A little…”

“Want me to kiss it better?” Leona’s eyes narrowed, a devilish curve on her lips.

“Are you okay tasting Anya’s sweat?”

“…you are so stupid. I should be furious,” she murmured, lips brushing his collarbone. “But seeing you come home safe… even smelling like her… it’s enough.”

He kissed the top of her head, lingering. “You’re dangerous when you act sweet like this.”

Her eyes flicked up to him, sharp but fond. “Don’t forget it. Tonight I’ll let you off. Tomorrow, I’ll take back every drop she stole from me.”

“When did you become so lewd?”

“The moment you taught me how good sex feels!”

With that, she tugged his hand and guided him toward the sofa. “Sit. You’re still bleeding, idiot. Do you think I didn’t notice?”

“T-That’s from Anya’s—”

“I know!”

He smirked as she pushed him down, already fetching the ointment from the cabinet.

Leona’s movements carried that familiar mix of tenderness and possessive care which made her different from Anya and Clara…

A wife’s charm.

And Nikolai, for all his teasing bravado, let her fuss over him without resistance.

Leona dabbed ointment carefully along the cuts, her fingers feather-light despite the sharpness of her words. Each touch stung, then soothed, the warmth of her body close enough to make him forget the ache in his muscles.

“You’re too reckless,” she muttered, blowing across a freshly dressed wound. “One of these days, you’ll come home broken beyond repair. And then what am I supposed to do?”

“Patch me up again?” Nikolai teased. “Argh!”

Her glare was sharp enough to cut stone, but the twist of her fingers pinching his side hurt more than fighting an Elder. However, the way her lips trembled betrayed her heart. She leaned forward suddenly, pressing her lips to the bruise on his ribs. “Idiot.”

The words gentle, he struggled to breathe through the pain.

Nikolai let his eyes close, the scent of ginger and warmth filling him as the weight of the arena, the Silver clan, and even Anya’s restless passion all melted away for this one fragile moment.

Ever since she became more than a maid and he accepted her as a bride, Leona’s heart started to change. She fell so far that this man could stab her chest and gouge her organs because of hunger, and she would forgive him. “So foolish.”

Leona’s hand lingered against his chest, her head resting there, listening to his heart.

The slow beat calmed her mind as she hugged him tight.

“After all, this is a wife’s charm.”

Her soft laugh answered. “Don’t you forget it.”