Chapter 85: Emotional castration

Bunny’s voice drifted through the howling wind from behind. The big puppy’s ears twitched, but he pretended to hear nothing.

Bravadoing through the cold gusts, Bunny walked up beside him and stuffed a military ration tin into his arms. "Still pouting?"

Liam stayed quiet, refusing to acknowledge her.

"Nothing happened between Xander and me."

She assumed that was the point bothering him.

Liam snapped, his temper flaring up immediately. "Then if he gets to give you baths and sleep by your side, why can’t I do the exact same things?!"

His eyes suddenly welled with red rims. "Do you just not like me? Are you abandoning me?"

Once a Sentinel binds to a Guide, his instinctual clinginess only grows progressively stronger. He had already been played by Cyrus, then Xander had barged in, and to top it off, that smug killer whale had mocked him without mercy.

The sheer depth of grievance weighing on Liam’s chest was something no one else could fathom.

Bunny sighed internally. How did we wind up back on this topic again?

"I never said I didn’t want you."

"You’re lying! You clearly like Xander way more—you don’t like me at all!"

"I’m your exclusive Sentinel, yet you never willingly come close to me. Every single time, I’m the one pestering you for a hug!"

"If that’s how it’s going to be..."

Liam’s voice dropped into a low, hollow register. Hugging his knees tightly, his golden eyes stared blankly at the roof, his messy black hair whipped wildly by the wind.

"I’d rather you had never saved me in the first place."

Once a Sentinel is marked by a Guide, he becomes entirely dependent on her for life. Being able to glimpse happiness without ever touching it is the most exquisite form of torture imaginable.

Cold neglect isn’t the scariest part—it’s being neglected after tasting what it feels like to possess it.

Bunny was left completely speechless and stunned. She had never realized this big, muscular guy harbored such an intensely sensitive heart. Just then, something soft began tugging at her pant leg.

Glancing down, she saw his spirit animal—the Greed.

The little creature stared up at her with its round, gleaming eyes. After giving her trousers a gentle chew, it moved on to nibble her slipper, trying to climb its way up her leg despite its pudgy, tubby frame.

It was every bit as mischievous as a month-old kitten.

Bunny scooped the Greed into her arms. It instantly flipped over to expose its fluffy belly, using the coarse barbs on its tiny tongue to lick her palm.

Bunny let out a soft laugh, turning her gaze back to the brooding young man in front of her.

The next second, a warm, soft body pressed gently against Liam’s back. He froze in place, and before he could react, a sweet, velvety kiss bloomed against his cheek.

Bunny had taken the initiative to kiss him.

Fine electric sparks flared across every inch of his skin. The sullen, pouty look on Liam’s face melted into pure disbelief, his pupils dilating wide.

Moving from deep melancholy to radiant ecstasy took less than a single second.

Bunny wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her chin lightly on his broad shoulder. "Alright, stop pouting now. Let’s go back and take a bath."

She smelled like sweat after a full day of heavy training anyway.

Before the words even fully settled, Liam had already scooped her into his arms and dashed straight toward the bathroom door—a speed that would make Lightning Bolt himself hang his head in shame.

Left behind on the rooftop to freeze in the howling wind, the forgotten Greed blinked in confusion: excuse me? Did Mom and Dad seriously forget I exist?

***

By the time Bunny emerged wrapped in a bath towel, Liam had already stripped off his shirt and burrowed deep into her covers.

Soaking in the soft pink bedding saturated with her sweet fragrance, he nuzzled his nose continuously into the sheets like an eager dog.

He was practically intoxicated by the scent.

The moment Bunny climbed onto the bed, he slid over without a shred of hesitation, wrapping himself around her like an octopus demanding affection.

The warm glow of the bedside lamp cast soft shadows across Liam’s striking side profile. Half his face was buried against her lower abdomen, his thick, raven lashes casting deep shadows over his eye sockets.

His fluffy, blow-dried hair tumbled messily across his forehead, hiding his brows and eyes. From Bunny’s angle, only his high-bridged nose and full, supple lips were visible.

Youth truly was a blessing—his face was overflowing with firm collagen.

Bunny couldn’t resist reaching out to give his cheek a playful pinch.

A young man’s temper came fast and vanished just as quickly; a little coaxing was all it took to make him beam with joy.

Still, his rock-hard muscles were so heavy they were pressing down on her awkwardly. Just as Bunny attempted to shift into a more comfortable position, he pulled her right back into his chest.

His lips murmured softly, letting out a dreamy haze of sleep-talk:

"Bunny... I love you so much..."

Sentinels possessed a metabolic rate twice that of an average human. As Bunny and Liam slept locked in a close face-to-face embrace, the man’s blazing body heat seeped through the thin fabric of their clothes, almost melting her.

She felt like she was trying to sleep while hugging a giant bear; the guy was simply too tall and ridiculously built.

Wait... A critical realization suddenly struck her. What if his size wasn’t compatible?!

Back then in the tent, when Liam had that clearly vivid sex dream about her, Bunny saw his length hardening inside his pants, and it was already quite intimidating.

Glancing over at Liam, who was currently sleeping like a dead log, Bunny gave the matter very serious thought.

Expecting Liam to stay in a lifelong Platonic relationship with her was no different from demanding his emotional castration—a completely unrealistic expectation.

This golden-eyed kid was no different from an overly eager pup whenever he was around her.

Growing frustrated by her own spiraling thoughts, Bunny turned her back to him to go to sleep.