CHAPTER 332: GOODBYE SEX

"You fell asleep!" Violet told him with a soft smile on her face as she sat on the bed right beside him, placing her hand gently on his chest. Her touch lingered there, warm against the steady rise and fall of his breath.

There was so much they had yet to discuss, so many unspoken truths between them, and even more waiting in the shadows.

Violet knew all of that, could feel the weight of it pressing on her shoulders, but in that moment, as she sat beside him and felt his heartbeat under her palm, none of it mattered.

"Longer than usual!" she added, her voice soft but teasing, even as she watched Cain’s face scrunch up in annoyance. His golden and crimson gaze flickered over her with restless sharpness, his jaw tightening as though waking itself was an act of sheer will. He focused hard on her, tried harder to stir and move despite her attempts to keep him from getting up.

"How long?" he asked, his voice low, his frown deepening. His wary eyes darted around the room as though searching for threats, suspicion coloring his every movement. "As long as before? Eldric came?" His words came quick, one question tumbling over the other, each one edged with urgency.

Violet nodded, brushing her thumb soothingly over his chest as she answered. "It’s only been about a day. Eldric came, but I took care of it!" she told him. She watched closely, her breath catching with relief as Cain slowly relaxed back against the headboard. The anxiousness in his gaze, though not gone, began to fade, leaving behind a simmering intensity instead of raw panic.

"I’m going to fix this weird Sleep illness!" Cain said suddenly, the words escaping him with sharp determination. His gaze fixed on her, heated, focused, the kind of look that promised he would not yield no matter what his body put him through. "Vazer is also going to help. If this continues, Eldric is going to take advantage of it!" His tone was firm, a declaration more than simple words, his hands curling into fists against the sheets.

Violet calmly nodded, though her lips remained pressed together. She didn’t trust her voice, not when she could feel the ache of truths she couldn’t reveal weighing heavily on her.

"Nothing else is wrong, right?" Cain pressed, his gaze narrowing, intense enough to pin her in place.

Violet shook her head subtly, a small movement that seemed to satisfy him, even though she felt the unease gnawing at her insides. She stayed silent, watching him slowly move to rise from the bed, his motions stiff, heavy, strained with effort.

"What about Uva? No one came to create chaos in the castle?" he asked as he forced himself upright, standing on both feet with an expression that revealed just how much strength it cost him to do something so simple. His body trembled faintly, but his will kept him upright.

"Everything is fine," Violet responded quickly, forcing steadiness into her tone even though her heart twisted. How could she tell him? How could she admit that she had signed a contract with a witch, binding herself to a promise she had no choice but to fulfill—all in exchange for him waking up?

He’s not going to like it, Violet thought, her chest tightening. She could already imagine his reaction—rage, fury, his protective nature twisting into chains that would keep her locked away. He was still weak, still recovering, and the last thing she wanted was to burden him with a truth that would drive him to reckless choices.

I can’t tell him. There’s no way he’ll let me go. The thought dug deep into her, almost painful.

Before she could stop herself, Violet moved closer, wrapping her arms around him in a sudden hug. The action seemed to surprise him, his body stilling as he stared down at her. His eyes—one a molten gold, the other a vivid, unsettling red—softened just slightly.

His fluffy ears weren’t visible, but the strange duality of his gaze was enough to make it clear that something inside him was still unsettled, something not quite right.

Gently, with a tenderness that surprised even herself, Violet rose to her toes and pressed her lips softly to his. The kiss was feather-light, almost tentative, and Cain froze for a moment, clearly not expecting it. But then he leaned into her, answering her touch with a sudden hunger, kissing her twice as passionately as she had kissed him.

His hands slid around her waist, strong and sure, pulling her closer, then rose up to cradle the back of her neck, anchoring her against him.

At first, his kiss was gentle—sweet, careful, almost reverent. But soon the tension between them grew too thick to ignore, too heavy to restrain. The air sparked with a charged heat, their bodies pressed close, their lips moving urgently as though each second without contact was unbearable. Neither of them could keep their hands to themselves anymore.

Clothes followed in a rush. Violet fumbled at the buttons of his shirt, her fingers trembling with urgency, while Cain, with less patience, practically tore the fabric from her body. He trailed kisses along her skin, lips grazing her neck, her collarbone, her shoulder, each touch igniting sparks that left her breathless.

"You want me?" he asked suddenly, his voice hoarse, as though the thought itself was too good to be true. His hands, though already moving with desperate urgency, hesitated just enough to betray his doubt.

"Of course! You’re my mate," Violet whispered, her voice low and trembling, her heart pounding so hard it hurt. She met his heated gaze, her arms wrapping around his neck as though she could tether herself to him forever.

"I—I want you," she told him, her breath shivering across his lips, her eyes flicking between the two clashing colors of his gaze.

"Unless you..." she began, but her words were stolen the moment his mouth crashed against hers again, silencing her doubts with the force of his need.

His lips were soft but insistent, and his hands were anything but gentle. His fingers roved over her body, down her thighs, between her legs, exploring her with a touch that made her writhe in helpless pleasure.

Her hands moved just as urgently, fumbling with his waistband, tugging down the fabric, until she found the hard, throbbing length that strained against it. The sheer heat of him in her hand made her shiver, anticipation flooding her veins until she could hardly breathe.

Still, Cain touched her relentlessly, his fingers stroking her in ways that made her back arch and her breath break into gasps. The pleasure built inside her like a storm, tightening, trembling, until waiting even a moment longer felt unbearable.

"Cain!" she gasped, her voice breaking, her legs parting desperately in invitation.

He didn’t hesitate. He pushed into her slowly, deliberately, until she felt the full stretch of him, the pulsing heat of his tip sliding deeper inside her.

"Cain!" she cried again, louder, her nails digging into his shoulders as the shock of him filled her completely. It was electrifying, each inch of him sending waves of pleasure through her until her legs wrapped around his waist on instinct, urging him deeper.

But instead of thrusting, Cain paused, his lips brushing hers as his hand caught her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"You’re not scared of carrying my child?" he asked, his words ragged, broken with disbelief. Then, with a shudder, he pushed harder inside of her, his throbbing body betraying how much the thought aroused him.

A few days ago, Violet would have been terrified. The thought of bearing his child, of binding herself so deeply to him, would have sent her into panic. But now, in that moment, with his gaze searing into hers and his body joined with hers, she simply shook her head.

"No. You bit me, remember? You belong to me," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. Tears threatened, but she forced them back, even as her heart cracked at the truth she couldn’t say—that soon, she would have to leave him, whether or not he wanted her to.

If she told him now, he would fight it. He would fight everything. He would chain her if he had to, to keep her by his side. And she couldn’t let that happen, not while he was still so fragile, not while the weight of his recovery hung over him like a blade.

She knew him too well. She knew exactly what he was capable of.

Her thoughts raced, a whirlwind of fear and longing, when suddenly his voice cut through it all, grounding her, shaking her to her very core.

"I love you!" Cain said, the words rough and raw, spilling from him with a conviction that made her heart stop.