CHAPTER 263: THE FEAR OF LOSING YOU

Jude and Lambard were still in the house and Shiao Yi was easily get embarrassed.

Dominic couldn’t risk angering him with childish mischief.

Ah, he thought, I deserve praise for being able to hold back this long.

When they left the bath, the dressing room had already been tidied up and a clean set of fresh clothes was neatly prepared.

Jude’s work was always perfect.

Once dressed, Shiao Yi started heading straight toward the living room, but Dominic caught him and lifted him up again.

Without a word, he carried him upstairs toward the bedroom.

"Hey! Dominic! Where are you going? Dominic!"

Shiao Yi squirmed and kicked, but Dominic ignored him. He entered the bedroom and locked the door behind them.

"What are you thinking? It’s the middle of the day! You’re supposed to go give a report! Hey, Dominic!"

Ignoring everything, Dominic pushed him gently onto the bed.

He quickly stripped off the clothes Shiao Yi had just put on.

"Dominic! Idiot! Dominic, stop it!"

No matter how reckless Dominic got, Shiao Yi never truly rejected him.

Shiao Yi could escape at any moment, he could use telekinesis or teleport away if he wanted to.

But Shiao Yi was kind. He always chose to stay and always put his feelings before his own.

Dominic silenced Shiao Yi’s protests with a kiss, pressing his lips against his and slipping his tongue inside, kissing him deeply.

That sweet tongue and that sweet mouth, it was so dear to him that he almost wanted to devour it whole.

He took Shiao Yi’s breath away with hungry kisses.

"Ha—! Are you trying to kill me? I can’t breathe!"

When Dominic finally pulled back, Shiao Yi panted hard and hitting Dominic weakly on the shoulder.

But his eyes were soft and hazy and it looks more pleading than angry.

His lips that was wet with saliva looked so full and inviting that they stirred something deep in Dominic again.

"Do you know what I felt when you disappeared from my sight?" Dominic whispered.

At those words, Shiao Yi froze, startled.

"No matter how many times I called out, you didn’t answer. Your presence was completely gone. I thought I was going insane. I was terrified you’d gone back to your original world and left me behind forever."

It had felt like half of Dominic’s body had suddenly vanished, a hollow loss so sharp that he couldn’t even find the right words to describe that panic and despair.

His arms that was trembling at the memory wrapped tightly around Shiao Yi.

As he felt Shiao Yi’s warm skin and the solid weight of his body, tears rose unbidden to his eyes and Dominic buried his face in Shiao Yi’s dark hair.

"Dominic, Dominic," Shiao Yi said softly. "I’m not going anywhere. What brought me here was a real accident, something that shouldn’t even have been possible. A lot of strange conditions just happened to line up, but it won’t ever happen again. So don’t worry, I won’t disappear from this world. I’ll stay here."

If Dominic could truly believe that, he thought, how much peace it would bring him.

But deep down, he knew the fear of losing Shiao Yi would never really go away.

It had all started because he made Shiao Yi angry that time.

Trying to make up for his impatience, Dominic kissed Shiao Yi’s silky black hair and spoke softly.

"Shiao Yi, at the inn, you got angry and left me, didn’t you? Was that because I make you too tired that night?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

When Dominic tried to apologize, Shiao Yi suddenly froze, his face flushing bright red.

The unexpected reaction made Dominic forget his words for a moment and he blinking his eyes in confusion.

"Th-that, well... it’s fine now, right? It’s already over," Shiao Yi said awkwardly.

"But that was the cause of all this, wasn’t it? You were angry with me, weren’t you? If that wasn’t the reason, then what was?"

"Uh, no, it wasn’t your fault, Dominic. Really, don’t worry about it. I’m not mad anymore, okay?"

Shiao Yi’s eyes darted around nervously.

Dominic had him pinned beneath him, so there was nowhere for Shiao Yi to go.

That only made Dominic more curious and he stared intently into Shiao Yi’s face, pressing for an answer.

In order to avoid the question, Shiao Yi suddenly wrapped his arms around Dominic’s neck, kissed him on the cheek, and quickly changed the subject.

"Dominic, when you came all the way to find me in those mountains at the edge of the north, I was so happy. The ground there blocked my powers, you know? I couldn’t contact you and I couldn’t teleport away either. Honestly, I was in real trouble. I had already decided that the only way out was to escape on foot. Koios said that if you followed me into the mountains, you’d get caught in the blizzard and die there. I was terrified. But then, you appeared out of nowhere. I was completely shocked."

Dominic’s mind filled with the image of that underground chamber.

Shiao Yi had been fighting several men at once. He had seen Dominic then, but he hadn’t looked that surprised.

Dominic remembered being overwhelmed with anger at the sight, releasing his power without thinking and then being scolded by Shiao Yi afterward for losing control.

That memory brought another worry back to the surface.

"Koios, you said? That man who kidnapped you. What did he do to you? Did he touch you? How far did he go?"

Dominic’s voice dropped low as he questioned Shiao Yi.

It was a pure and burning jealousy.

Maybe what happened hadn’t been Shiao Yi’s fault at all, but just imagining another man’s hands on him made Dominic’s head boil as if it were on fire.

"There’s nothing to forgive. Do you really think someone like that could ever do anything to me?"

Shiao Yi spoke with a look of irritation, but even then, the seed of doubt that had already taken root inside Dominic refused to fade.