Chapter 89: Just one

The moment his zipper parted, his firm, well-defined chest muscles sprang free from the fabric. Like a greedy mouse stumbling upon a full grain silo, Bunny buried her face right in without hesitation.

God! It was exactly as she had pictured—spacious, soft, and so utterly comforting she felt like she might drown in it.

A dim room, a mute companion, playful coercion, exposure...

She lifted her gaze to find Orion staring down at her in complete silence, his eyes filled with doting warmth. His cheeks were deeply flushed, a misty haze veiling his gaze, while his ears had turned a deep, burning red where she couldn’t see.

The striking red tear mole near the corner of his eye looked exceptionally alluring—this picture of unfulfilled craving felt like pure temptation!

Thanks to his species’ innate traits, Bunny quickly picked up on the sudden physical shift beneath his waist.

Wait, no— she had almost forgotten that these twin serpent brothers shared a sensory link, and their sensitivity thresholds were ridiculously low.

Even a slight touch like this was enough to trigger a full reaction.

Bunny cleared her throat twice, pulled his uniform back up, and turned her attention back to the screen. If she stayed buried in his chest any longer, she’d end up having to help him manage another sudden "Combining Heat."

With Bunny backing off, a subtle flash of disappointment flickered across Orion’s eyes. Still, he obediently leaned back, quietly resuming his role as her personal snack provider.

As the movie progressed into a somewhat dull act, Bunny grew increasingly drowsy, her eyelids growing heavier by the minute.

Feeling the steady, rhythmic breathing of the Guide resting in his arms, Orion thoughtfully powered down the holographic screen and draped a thick, warm blanket over her.

She felt light as a feather in his arms, just like a small sleeping kitten. Orion gazed intently at her resting face—tracing her nose, her eyes, and down to her lips.

His gaze grew progressively thicker with devotion.

That was the essence of instinctual attraction: simply being near her brought him pure happiness.

Would it be alright... if he stole just one tiny kiss?

Just one.

Orion slowly leaned toward Bunny’s face, his heart pounding more furiously with every fraction of an inch he closed.

The moment his lips lightly brushed against her smooth cheek, he instantly pulled back, stealing an anxious glance to check if he had woken her or if she had noticed anything.

The velvety touch dissolved like fresh cream. Orion’s eyelashes fluttered uncontrollably—her skin was far softer than he had ever imagined.

He sneaked a few more quiet kisses, each one feather-light, like a little bee gently fluttering its wings to catch the scent of its favorite flower.

Bunny carried a faint yet undeniable natural fragrance.

Unlike her Guide pheromones, this scent required closeness to detect, distinct from any fragrance they had ever encountered. It felt deeply warm and reassuring.

It was like an anchoring call built directly into their primal genes—a fundamental summons from their DNA.

The closer one got, the more addictive it became.

Though they were not fetuses nurtured in amniotic fluid, they felt the exact same deep attachment and longing for this sensation.

What’s more, this fragrance seemed to have grown significantly richer in recent days.

Orion’s gaze gradually darkened with desire. Just as he leaned in, as if possessed, to press his lips against hers—

"Orion, what are you doing?"

An unexpected voice shattered the silence, causing the startled serpent to jump and instantly snap back to reality.

He turned around to find Xander standing behind him, his expression holding subtle hostility alongside sharp scrutiny.

Like a child caught red-handed, Orion nervously stood up while cradling Bunny in his arms, using his free hand to quickly sign:

Bunny fell asleep watching a movie. I was watching over her.

Ever since Xander had set the precedent of calling her "Bunny," the other Sentinels had followed suit, adopting the name for themselves.

Xander’s eyes swept over Orion’s face. Spotting nothing overtly suspicious, his guard against this slow-witted team member naturally remained low.

"Hand her to me. Go to the briefing room for the meeting."

Faced with his vice-captain’s command, Orion didn’t dare disobey. He gently transferred Bunny into Xander’s arms and slipped away without a word.

Xander frowned slightly: Something feels off here.

Over the next few days, Bunny was thrown into a brutal, unrelenting training regimen.

She couldn’t understand why they had suddenly turned up the intensity on her.

Her soothing duties were temporarily put on hold, and every waking hour was consumed by high-intensity drills and extra physical conditioning. From dawn to dusk, even when she collapsed from sheer exhaustion, they refused to let her stop.

Time and time again, she fainted right on the training field, feeling as though her body was reaching its absolute breaking point. No matter how much she begged for leniency, they would only pamper and comfort her after the day’s training was completely finished.

Bunny was thoroughly furious. Even if they wanted to strictly enforce training standards, there was no need to push her like a hyper-competitive parent tiger-schooling their kid.

Was a gradual, step-by-step approach too much to ask for?

Defiant, she curled up tightly under her duvet, refusing to open the door no matter how hard they knocked.

Rin knelt by the edge of the bed, appearing in his default form—a neat white shirt and trousers—gazing at her with warm, gentle eyes.

"Bunny, it’s time to get up."

Bunny remained balled up under the covers, poking only her head out. "I’m not getting up! I’ve been worked to death these past few days!"

Rin, of course, understood exactly why the Sentinels were pushing her so relentlessly.

"Bunny, have you ever heard of the Atacama Flower Field?"

Clutching her pillow, Bunny locked eyes with him. "What’s that?"

In an instant, a holographic projection materialized from Rin’s palm, displaying an endless expanse of desolate desert.

"The Atacama Desert, located along the western coast of central South America, sees an average annual rainfall of less than 0.1 millimeters. It is extremely arid—remarkably similar to the present-day environment on Terra."

"All plant life there remains dormant in seed form, waiting through the brief Southern Hemisphere spring for a single, precious rainfall."