Chapter 113: Do you?

The pale sand caught Kian’s bare feet, and he let the captain down roughly.

She stumbled, arms flailing, then dropped to her knees, staring at the sky and the endless black water.

Kian didn’t spare her a word. He walked toward the shoreline, folded his indigo wings against his back, and closed his eyes. The wind came off the sea, dry and hot, smelling of salt and old blood.

Behind him, Feimei pulled her cloak tighter and watched him with quiet amusement.

Jiao Yin stood near her, silent and wide-eyed, while Xiao Cui clutched her own arms as if the sky might fall. "Woah, the fight was so scary!!!"

"Tell me about it!" Jiao Yin said.

Feimei shook her head.

None of them spoke to the captain.

A thread of gold unwound from Kian’s chest and thickened into Hua Jia’s nimble form.

She landed on the sand with her arms crossed and her cheeks already puffed with fury.

"You brought her here? Her? Of all people?" Her short hair whipped in the hot wind as she pointed at the captain like the woman was a stain on the beach.

Mia materialized beside her in a puff of pale green, nodding with exaggerated seriousness. "Yeah. Why her, Kian?" She crossed her own arms, matching Jia’s pose, and the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder like twin storm clouds.

They were both absolutely furious.

Jia stomped closer, sand spraying. "I don’t like her! She destroyed your opportunity before! And now she’s standing on our island, seeing our secret, breathing our air like she belongs here!"

Kian stood silently.

She jabbed a finger at his chest, her face warping. "Are you even listening? Kian! Open your eyes!"

Kian opened his eyes slowly, the fading ache of the fight still humming behind them. He looked down at Jia’s finger still pressed against his chest, then at Mia standing guard beside her, and sighed.

"What’s the problem now?"

Jia’s face frowned with pure, childish frustration. "The problem is her! I don’t like her, Kian. I don’t want her here."

Kian hugged her head. "Don’t be so frustrated my lovely girl, speak."

Her voice cracked on the last word, and for a moment she looked less angry than worried.

Kian’s eyes drifted to the captain still kneeling in the sand, her white uniform ruined and her breath uneven. Then he waved a hand as though swatting a fly.

Kian whispered in his women’s ears only: "Want me to kill her then?"

The words landed like a stone in still water. Feimei’s brow lifted. Jiao Yin sucked in a breath. Xiao Cui froze with both hands over her mouth.

The captain’s head snapped up, her gaze locking onto Kian with a flash of pure, survival-knife fear. She could tell something was off.

Jia’s mouth opened, then shut. Her arm dropped to her side, and for a long second she just stared at him, stunned. Then she stomped her foot so hard the sand jumped.

"Don’t play with me! I just don’t like her," she said, her voice rising. "I hate her. I hate her. I hate her. Why do you make your enemies your lovers? Someday she might hurt you!"

Mia shifted closer, one hand coming up to touch Jia’s arm, but Jia shook it off and glared at the captain like she wanted to set her on fire.

Kian studied the captain’s face—the rapid pulse in her throat, the way her fingers curled into the sand as if she might bolt. He wondered what the hell he was supposed to do with her.

’I was thinking of having some fun...’

"Kian!!!" Jia looked up like a puppy.

Kian sighed.

He turned to Jia. She was still glaring at the captain, both fists tight at her sides, her short hair whipping in the dry wind. He caught her chin before she could snap at him again.

"Wha—"

Her eyes flashed, and she tried to wrench her face away, but he held her steady and pulled her against his bare chest.

"You’re being too loud," he said, low and easy, then bent and kissed her.

She went rigid. Her free hand came up and shoved at his shoulder, but he didn’t budge. She twisted her head, breaking the kiss for half a breath, and hissed, "Kian, I’m still—"

He swallowed the rest with his mouth. His tongue slid past her parted lips, and she made a furious little sound that vibrated against his teeth.

Her hands found his chest and pushed again, weaker this time, so he only pulled her closer by the waist.

His arm locked around her lower back, dragging her onto her toes. She bit his lower lip, a sharp nip that should have stung, then softened when he didn’t even flinch.

The bite turned into a reluctant suck, and he felt the fight go out of her shoulders.

He didn’t let up.

He kissed her deeper, slow and loving, while his hand slid from her chin to the nape of her neck. His fingers fisted in her hair, tilting her head exactly where he wanted, and she let out a broken little whimper.

His other hand roamed down her spine, over the curve of her hip, and squeezed hard enough to make her gasp into his mouth.

She tried to turn her face away again, but he gripped her jaw and sealed their lips harder, swallowing her muffled complaint. Her knees buckled for a heartbeat.

He caught her, grinding his hips faintly against her, and her entire body went taut before melting against him.

"Kian, stop..."

When he finally let her breathe, her face was flushed to the roots of her hair. Her lips were pink and slick, already parting again on a shallow, dazed exhale. Her eyes had gone glassy, half-lidded, and her small fists rested uselessly against his chest.

"Why do you do this, you idiot?" She said. "I am just... looking out for you."

Kian traced the curve of her waist, then pushed his hand under the hem of her robe. His palm found the warm skin of her stomach, then slid higher until he cupped her breast and rubbed his thumb over the peak.

"I just love doing this to you, Jia."

Jia jumped as if struck, then sagged, a shaky sigh escaping her. Her fingers curled into his skin, not to push away, but to hold on. He ducked and bit her neck, just hard enough to leave a mark, then soothed it with his tongue.

"Idiot!"

She made a soft, drunk little noise and stopped fighting entirely.

He lifted his head and looked down at her. "If you don’t like the captain, you don’t like her. That’s it. I don’t either, at most, I just want to play around a little and give her something in return, that’s it."

"Hm, I understand." Jia blinked up at him like a sleepy kitten, lips swollen and eyes soft with reluctant surrender.

Then her gaze drifted past his shoulder to the captain, and a flicker of pure, sulky annoyance lit her face as Kian continued to kiss her neck.

But she didn’t move from his arms. Kian chuckled, kissed her forehead, and whispered against her skin, "Good girl. Now let your hubby do some things and vent his anger of losing the old opportunity, then we can think about what to do with her. Okay?"

"But I want you!" she said.

"Hehe..." Kian chuckled. "You will get me later. For now, get the other girls and leave me some space."

Jia tensed under his palm, then grabbed his wrist as if to squeeze a yes out of him. "If you promise me not to make her one of us, sure."

"In return, what do I get?" Kian asked, matching her frown with a slow grin.

"A really satisfying night." She said it flat, but her blush climbed all the way to her ears.

Kian laughed, low and warm, and nodded. "Deal. You’ve never promised that."

"Yes, asshole be happier."

Jia held his gaze a beat longer than necessary, then let go of his wrist and turned away.

"And you better make it worth it with the woman."

She grabbed Mia by the elbow and dragged her up the beach without another glance at the captain. Feimei followed with a quiet, knowing smile, and Jiao Yin and Xiao Cui trailed behind, throwing nervous looks back at the two.

Kian waited until the sound of their footsteps faded into the wind. Then he walked toward the captain.

She was still on her knees, watching him approach with the stiff stillness of a woman deciding her own fate. Sand clung to her ruined white uniform, and a cut at her temple bled a thin line down her jaw.

She didn’t move when he stopped in front of her.

Kian crouched and reached out. He touched her head, smoothing back the tangled strands of hair, and she flinched like he had pressed a knife to her throat.

Then she forced herself still, eyes locked on his.

"You heard all that," he said quietly. "So the bell turned out to be a trap, so I saved you. What do you plan to do in return?"

Her throat moved. She didn’t answer.

He traced his fingers down the side of her face, then along the edge of her jaw. Her pulse hammered under his thumb.

"Don’t worry," he murmured. "It’s upto you. If you want, I can let—"

"I want to do it!"