Chapter 319: Gems and Lingering Scents

Vivian’s POV

He did not hesitate for a single second. One strong arm looped tightly around my waist, while the other buried itself deep in my hair as our mouths crashed together with raw urgency. The kiss was not soft or tentative it was fierce, filled with everything we had been holding inside our chests all day long. Fear. Longing. Frustration. Desperate need. Every clash of teeth and every rough tug of our lips served as a silent, powerful reminder: I have got you. I am still right here.

His warm tongue parted my lips, and the exact moment he claimed my mouth, the entire world outside vanished into thin air. The outside stress, the looming uncertainty, the cosmic threats it all fell away into nothingness. All I could taste was him, and in that moment, it was enough. More than enough.

By the time we finally pulled apart for air, our breathing was ragged and harsh. Our foreheads pressed together, and for a long, quiet second, we just stood there in the room, drinking each other in.

No more heavy words. Just steady breath. Just us.

Zahliver’s brow furrowed slightly as he pulled me fully into his strong arms, his grip gentle yet unyielding. I did not resist when his hand tangled softly in my hair and tilted my head to the side, completely baring the skin of my neck to him. He leaned in close and buried his face right in the warm curve of my shoulder, drawing in a long, deliberate breath of air.

Then another slow breath.

And another.

His nose brushed back and forth against my skin repeatedly, like he was desperately trying to piece a complex puzzle together just from the subtle scent of my body. When he finally pulled back to look at me, there was a clear flicker of deep confusion dancing in his stormy blue eyes.

"What is it?" I asked, slightly puzzled by the sudden intensity in his gaze.

He did not answer me right away. Instead, he lifted his head slightly higher, sniffing the air directly around my shoulders again.

"Where exactly did you go today, love?" he asked, his voice dropping low, sounding almost distracted.

I blinked at him in surprise. "I went back to that mountain trail you took me to on our first real date. The one with the ridiculous uphill hike?" I smiled softly at the sweet memory. "And after that, I stopped by the local hospital to check on things. Hannah is finally having her baby!"

His nod was slow and thoughtful. But his nose twitched again against the air.

I narrowed my eyes at his face. "Why do you keep sniffing me like a bloodhound? Do I seriously smell weird or something?" I lifted my own arm and inhaled the fabric, but all I caught were faint traces of clean forest air and maybe some lingering medical disinfectant from the hospital hallways.

"I am not entirely sure," he murmured, his brows still drawn together tightly. "There is something else on your skin... it is very subtle, but it is definitely there."

He leaned in close again, his warm nose pressing right back into the crook of my neck. His hot breath made me squirm and giggle. I let out a light laugh and gave his chest a playful push away.

"It is probably just sterile hospital chemicals clinging to my clothes. Now quit sniffing me like a weirdo and come take a shower with me."

That specific suggestion was all it took to break the tension. Whatever quiet concern had been tugging at his Alpha instincts melted away in an instant. A sly, unmistakably male grin spread slowly across his handsome face.

"Now that is the kind of invitation I simply cannot turn down."

I rolled my eyes up at the ceiling, but turned toward the bathroom anyway, knowing full well he was grinning like a fool right behind me.

We ended up staying in that hot shower far longer than was strictly necessary.

Later, as I stood by the mirror slipping comfortably into my flats, Zahliver approached quietly from behind, his familiar, powerful presence warm and heavy at my back. I stood straight and glanced over my shoulder, and just the simple sight of him had my heart skipping a beat like it always did.

I had dressed simply for the dinner party, but with a lot of care. My white top hugged my curves nicely and bared one shoulder, the soft fabric trimmed with a faint, delicate floral print. A pretty pink skirt clung to my hips, and I had pulled half my hair up into a clip, leaving the rest falling loose around my face. Turquoise teardrop earrings dangled from my lobes, catching the warm room light, and matching bracelets shimmered on my wrist. My makeup was kept soft and barely-there just the way I liked it.

Zahliver, on the other hand...

He wore light blue designer jeans and a fitted white V-neck t-shirt, topped off with a sleek black blazer. His white Converse sneakers were spotless. His thick hair was still slightly damp, casually tousled from him running his hands through it. And gods, he looked incredible. He knew it, too that cocky, dangerous glint in his electric blue eyes said it all.

With a slight, knowing smirk on his lips, he lifted a delicate silver necklace in front of me, letting the pendant dangle from his fingers. Before I could really make out what it looked like, he looped it smoothly around my neck, the cold metal brushing against my warm skin as he settled it gently against my chest.

His hand slid right to my bare shoulder as he adjusted the chain, his warm fingers grazing my skin in a slow caress. I looked down.

A small flower pendant rested right between my breasts delicate, no bigger than my thumbnail, yet completely captivating. Each petal shimmered with a different colored gemstone, catching the overhead light in soft, prismatic flashes. The tiny vines curling outward from its center looked like intricate strands of green gold, twisting in subtle spirals.

"I have been waiting a long time to see you wear this," he murmured close behind me, his voice low and intimate. His hand began a slow, languid path up and down my arm.

"Hmm... did this come out of one of those random gift boxes?" I asked, leaning slightly back into his solid chest.

"Yeah. One of the Western Lunas sent it over as a welcome gift, if I remember right. Good taste," he added, pressing a warm kiss right to my exposed shoulder.

But just as I let out a soft sigh of contentment, I felt his chest expand as he inhaled deeply once more.

I turned my head sharply to give him a flat look. "Seriously? Still sniffing me?"

He did not even look remotely sheepish about it. "There is still something there. I cannot quite put my finger on what it is, but the scent... it is definitely lingering."

"Maybe it is just your own scent rubbing off on me," I said, arching a brow up at him and planting a hand firmly on my hip.

He took another quick sniff of the air near my hair and shook his head. "It is not mine."

"Right," I said, dragging out the word with exaggerated doubt as I walked away toward the door, chuckling softly under my breath.

Whatever that faint scent was, I was entirely sure it was nothing to worry about. Just random hospital chemicals or dust clinging to me from the mountain trail. But a tiny, persistent sliver of doubt nagged quietly at the back of my mind Zahliver never fixated on a detail like this without a valid reason.

Still, I was not about to let a weird phantom smell ruin the rest of our day before our high-stakes dinner party started.