novelraw Chapter 197: The same face
Chapter 197: The same face
"Nina—Nina, what’s wrong?"
The males scrambled to their feet, all calling out to her at once.
The mist hung thick over the pool, blurring everything into soft shadows. They could only make out Nina’s vague silhouette, nothing more.
The vines wrapped around their bodies—her vines—and they didn’t dare sever them to push forward.
Hearing voices from all around her, Nina instinctively tugged one of them closer.
When she lifted her gaze, she found Kith looking absolutely helpless before her.
His eyes widened at once. A flush far too deep colored her cheeks, her expression unfocused and unwell.
"Nina... are you feeling unwell?" he asked urgently.
"I... I feel terrible..." Her voice was soft, unsteady.
Her body swayed.
Kith caught her immediately, pulling her into his arms, holding her close.
The coolness of his skin pressed against her burning body. The sharp, unmistakable scent of a male filled her senses.
And just like that, her restraint began to crumble.
She slipped her arms around his neck, her voice low and hoarse. "Kith... I want you. Will you surrender to me...?"
He froze at once. For a moment, he thought he’d misheard her.
"Nina... what did you say?"
"If you don’t want to... then leave," she murmured, her tone tinged with dazed hurt.
"I do." His reply came instantly, almost breathless. "I do—more than anything. I just... I thought I’d imagined it."
His arms tightened around her, as if afraid she might change her mind.
How could he not want this? He had only feared it was just another dream.
At his answer, Nina pulled him down.
Their lips met.
The sweetness he had longed for returned in an instant, familiar and intoxicating.
Kith teetered on the edge of losing control.
He responded—hungry, yet careful—wanting more, yet afraid of overwhelming her.
Her soft hands traced over his chest, gliding across firm muscle, following the lines of his abdomen... drifting lower...
A low, restrained sound escaped him.
His body tensed.
Then he pressed her harder against him, deepening the kiss.
"Nina..."
He lifted her, bracing her gently against the smooth rock wall, his voice low and fervent at her ear.
"I love you."
So much it hurt.
Water rippled in steady rhythms, soft and fluid.
Her breathy sounds wove into the quiet night, rising and falling like a melody—an unspoken song of longing and surrender.
Not far away, the other males clenched their jaws.
Why him? Why choose that damned tiger—and not them?
Jealousy coiled in their chests, sharp and bitter.
Aviel turned his head slightly, his expression dark.
Damn that tiger.
Finch stared at the water, his gaze heavy. If only she had chosen him... He would have said yes without hesitation.
Yanai lowered his eyes. He had no right to hope.
Dian rested his chin in his hand, his tail swaying lazily beneath the water.
"Sister’s voice... is really nice," he murmured softly.
Setan stood frozen, face burning, unable to look away.
From where he stood, he could see her clearly—the soft curve of her flushed face, the pale gleam of her shoulders.
The rest was hidden behind Kith’s broad frame, glimpsed only in fragments, half-seen and all the more alluring for it.
Her cheeks bloomed with color, like petals kissed by morning dew.
A faint blush tinted the corners of her eyes—soft, luminous, dangerously captivating.
Setan swallowed hard. His throat felt dry. His heartbeat grew erratic.
He didn’t even know why he had stayed at this pool tonight. There had been others.
He could have left.
"Y-you... slow down..." The soft, breathy plea snapped him back to himself.
His eyes widened. He tore his gaze away, forcibly steadying his racing heart.
Without another thought, he severed the vines around him and fled.
Aviel and the others watched his retreating figure coldly. He never should have been here.
Just then, something tightened around their waists.
The vines stirred again.
Before they could react, they were pulled forward, dragged toward the place they had been trying so hard not to reach.
At that moment, Sal returned.
The instant he heard the familiar sounds echoing from the pool, he knew exactly what had happened.
His expression darkened. Those bastards were taking advantage of his absence to get close to Nina.
Irritation flared.
But Sal was never one to accept a loss. With a sharp motion, he stripped off his outer layer and, with a loud splash, jumped straight into the pool.
And so, a chaotic night unfolded...
***
Back in the cave, the little ones sat on their soft fur bedding, waiting for Nina to return and tell them a bedtime story.
They waited... and waited...
Until their eyelids grew heavy and their yawns came one after another—but Nina still hadn’t come back.
"Father Odian, why isn’t Mother back yet?" Mimi asked, staring toward the cave entrance. "Is she still soaking in the water?"
Odian coughed lightly. "Your mother won’t be back so early tonight. Let’s go to sleep first—I’ll tell you a story instead."
He already had a good idea of what was going on.
At this hour, if she hadn’t returned... she probably wasn’t coming back tonight.
His gaze swept across the cave. A few troublemakers were also missing.
His expression darkened slightly.
Don’t tell me...
A faint sense of frustration rose in him.
Looks like the household was about to gain a few more males.
...And yet, beneath that, there was a trace of regret.
Why hadn’t it been him tonight?
He’d never even tried being in the water with her.
Well... there would be a next time.
Mino felt a flicker of jealousy, too, but it passed quickly. He let out a quiet breath.
There was no point in dwelling on it. Instead, he began thinking ahead—with more rivals now, how could he win more of Nina’s favor? After all, she was what truly mattered.
Together, Mino and Odian told the children a bedtime story.
The little ones kept glancing toward the cave entrance at first, hoping Nina would appear.
But eventually, drowsiness won.
One by one, they drifted off to sleep.
Elsewhere, Setan ran blindly through the forest. He spotted a small pool in the distance—no steam rose from it.
A cold pool.
Without hesitation, he jumped in.
The icy water swallowed him whole. It cooled his overheated skin, slowed his erratic heartbeat, and steadied his breath.
But though his body cooled, his mind kept burning.
He shook his head, trying to cast away the images from earlier.
But that face—that soft, flushed, breathtaking face—remained seared into his thoughts.
No matter how hard he tried to push it away, it only became clearer.
He leaned back, staring up at the bright moon overhead.
What’s wrong with me...?
After a long while, he climbed out. Finding a tall tree, he pulled himself up and settled against the trunk, closing his eyes.
At last, exhaustion dragged him into sleep.
And once again, he returned to that cave in his dreams.
The same soft, yielding body. The same intoxicating warmth. The same pleasure he couldn’t forget.
He held her tightly, his lips trailing along her pale, graceful neck. Her soft sounds echoed in his ears, stirring something deep within him.
He kissed her lips—greedy, desperate.
"Little female... who are you?" he asked again, unable to stop himself.
This time, he forced his eyes open. He wanted to see her clearly.
And for the first time—he did.
His pupils trembled.
It was that same face—the one he couldn’t erase from his mind.
Nina.
Setan jolted awake, gasping for breath.
"How... how is this possible?"
How could the female from his dreams be Nina? How could he have replaced her with Nina?
He raised his hand and slapped himself—hard. Twice.
What was wrong with him? How could he harbor such thoughts about her?
That mysterious girl—she was supposed to be his future mate. He already belonged to someone. He could not betray her.
Once he got the Flame Crystal, he would leave. Stay far, far away from Nina. Forget everything that happened tonight.
It had to be because of what he saw. That was all. If he forgot about it... Everything would go back to normal.
Leaning against the tree, he stared into the distance.
Sleep never came again.
He remained there, unmoving, until dawn.
. . .
The next morning, Nina slowly woke. She took one look at the scene around her and sucked in a sharp breath.
She... she...
What on earth had she done last night?!