Chapter 614: You’re Late

"Ow, ow, ow!" Elion painfully lowered his head to the side as a pair of very sharp nails pinched into his ear.

"You’re late," Celeste complained, a very angry pout forming on her face. "You said you would be back in a day."

"Technically, I said I would try to be back in a day."

Celeste pinched harder.

"Ow! Alright, alright! That’s close enough to a promise!"

"Hmph."

She finally released him, crossing her arms beneath her delicately small chest as she looked away.

Elion straightened himself and rubbed his aching ear.

’She really didn’t hold back...’

The Ark had arrived back at Dreadmoor Hollow only a short while ago, and Celeste had sensed their return almost immediately; Elion didn’t even know how.

He had barely managed to step outside before the white-haired Vampire appeared in front of him, crossed the distance between them, and grabbed his ear without so much as a greeting.

Elion looked at her.

Celeste was still deliberately staring away from him, her cheeks puffed slightly in a cute manner, as though she had every intention of remaining angry for the foreseeable future.

’Too cute alert!’

He almost laughed, but he held it in.

"Celeste."

No response.

"Celeste."

Still nothing.

Elion sighed dramatically.

"I suppose I’ll just leave again, then." Her crimson eyes snapped toward him instantly.

"Don’t you dare."

Elion grinned, and Celeste’s expression darkened. Before she could reach for his ear again, Elion caught her wrist and pulled her toward him.

"Ah!"

Celeste stumbled forward and found herself pressed against his chest. Her angry expression immediately faltered.

Elion wrapped both arms around her slim waist.

"I’m sorry."

Celeste blinked.

That seemed to take far more wind out of her sails than any excuse could have.

Elion rested his chin lightly against the top of her head.

"A lot happened."

She seemed torn between not wanting to appear weak and easy, and not wanting to stubbornly hold onto her anger when he was finally standing in front of her again.

After letting him stew for a few moments, she finally tilted her head up toward him.

Both of her hands rested against his chest, curled into small fists, before she pursed her lips and rose onto the tips of her toes in an obvious attempt to reach him.

Elion smiled when he understood what she wanted.

Without teasing her any further, he lowered his head and met her dark crimson lips with his own.

They kept the kiss soft, and as usual, Celeste’s lips felt wet and cold, almost like the kiss of death.

Elion loved it.

Mostly because it was one of those little things that set her apart from the others.

After a moment, they broke apart with a soft click and simply gazed into each other’s eyes.

"I haven’t completely forgiven you yet," Celeste said. "I’m going to need some of your blood to sate my anger first."

Elion smiled wryly.

’Well, what do you know? Zenith was right after all.’

Celeste reached up and rested her cold hand against his cheek.

"Your eyes look beautiful."

Having finally recovered his mental energy, Elion had returned the World Eyes to their active state.

He smiled.

"Thank you."

A moment later, Celeste pulled away from his embrace and turned toward Isla, who had been waiting a few steps behind them.

She approached the shy blonde woman and took both of Isla’s hands in her own, smiling lightly.

"It’s nice to see you again, Princess," Celeste said.

Isla let out a soft giggle.

"Likewise, Princess."

The two hugged briefly before Celeste pulled away and began leading Isla toward one of the doors engraved into the base of a towering spire as they conversed.

Elion watched them for a moment before following behind.

’Well... those two seem to be getting along well.’

...

Moments later, the trio could be seen sitting together on a single plush couch on a secluded, dimly lit balcony beneath the crimson sky.

Celeste sat comfortably in Elion’s lap, while both of his hands rested over her mostly flat stomach, caressing it gently for no other reason except that he could.

More noticeable was the fact that he was looking slightly pale and lethargic.

A pair of freshly opened puncture marks could still be seen on the side of his neck where his tunic had been pulled aside.

Celeste slowly ran her small pink tongue around her crimson lips in a circular motion before letting out a deeply satisfied sigh.

"Delectable," she commented. That earned a soft giggle from Isla, who was seated directly beside the flirting pair.

Elion felt like crying.

Well...

Not really.

But for a moment there, he had genuinely thought Celeste intended to suck him dry. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

Celeste rested her head back against his chest and closed her eyes.

"I’m assuming everything went well?" she asked.

Elion nodded.

"Everything went well. You can rest easy knowing the matter has been settled." He paused. "Though I still need to tie up a few loose ends."

Celeste chuckled.

"We are not children here. Just say you still need to kill them first, and then the matter will finally be settled."

Elion smiled.

"So blunt."

"And the others?" she asked.

"At the academy," he replied. "We actually took so long because Mira suggested that I should probably make sure the succubi were safe first, and I’m glad I did."

He briefly explained what had unfolded when they travelled to the Draconic Mountain Range in search of Ophelia and the others.

Celeste listened quietly before nodding.

"It’s good to know you weren’t late simply because you were fooling around."

Elion went stiff.

"Hmm...?" Celeste opened one crimson eye and tilted her head up to look at him. "Were you fooling around?"

Elion immediately began sweating buckets. And so, not long afterwards, Elion lost a little more blood.

Well...

Perhaps a bit more than a little, considering his cheeks looked slightly hollow by the end of it. Elion let out a dry wheeze as a cloud of wispy cold air escaped his mouth.

"Ohhh, don’t be so dramatic," Isla chimed in with a giggle. "You’ll be all better in no time."

Elion could only give her a weak smile and nod.

Once he had recovered enough strength to speak, he asked about how things had been in Dreadmoor Hollow.

Celeste immediately sighed.

"I’m so incredibly bored. No one will even let me do anything. No matter what I try, Mother and Father always tell me to go and rest."

Her expression became increasingly frustrated.

"It’s so incredibly irritating."

That earned a smile from both Elion and Isla.

Elion could understand where she was coming from, but he understood Lucius and Lilith even more.

After all, if given the chance, he would probably pamper Celeste every single day until the day she eventually gave birth, even if the date was still quite far off.

But he still wisely decided not to comment on the matter.

He had already lost enough blood for one evening, and he couldn’t afford to pass out anytime soon.

There were still far too many matters he needed to attend to.

"Speaking of which, where are Mother and Father-in-law? And Uncle Dorian?" he asked.

"They’re all occupied with one thing or another," Celeste replied. "My parents are still somewhere within Dreadmoor Hollow, though not in the central region you’re used to. They’re about a day’s travel away."

Elion nodded lightly.

"And Uncle Dorian?"

"He was sent out as an emissary," Celeste continued. "They’re trying to work something out with the dragons in the south."