Chapter 160: Going Home
The loud engine of the minibus filled the silence as it rolled over the cracked, sun-beaten road that led away from the dungeon site. Inside, the atmosphere was quiet, but very far from peaceful.
Seven passengers rode in the vehicle’s back cabin, seated on the bench-style seats that faced one another.
Kaiden sat right in the center of the left row. Luna leaned against his shoulder on his left. Her arms were folded in front of her delicate chest, and a thoughtful look occupied her face. On his right, however, lay a sight far less composed.
Bastet, the tanned and temptingly curvy feline, had chosen not to sit like the rest of them. Instead, she lay with her head comfortably nestled in Kaiden’s lap and her thick, lush tail lazily flicking up to brush against his face, shoulder, and occasionally his ear with playful, suggestive strokes. Her purring was loud—constant—and it vibrated rather strongly through his lower half.
Her amber eyes shone with obvious mischief, and while she didn’t say a word, her every movement made her desires abundantly clear. A low, pleased sigh left her lips every so often as she nuzzled against him, one arm draped possessively across his waist. Everyone here understood painfully well that she was currently trying to seduce Kaiden with a reserved but sensual mating call.
Kaiden, to his credit, kept his expression neutral, though a light twitch at the corner of his mouth hinted at his inner battle. She wasn’t even being subtle.
Across from him sat Tessa. Her expression was unreadable as she watched the display with professional detachment—or at least attempted to. Her dark eyes occasionally flicked to Bastet, then to Kaiden, and then away again, as if trying to calculate something.
To Tessa’s left sat Nyx and Aria, both watching the feline with very different energies.
Nyx wore a sly, amused smirk. She rested her chin in her hand, looking like someone watching a cat try to flirt with the lion’s pride leader in front of his lionesses. Her eyes sparkled with amusement every time Bastet’s tail batted at Kaiden’s cheek, and she seemed to be genuinely entertained by the reactions of the others.
Aria, on the other hand, wasn’t hiding her thoughts quite so well. She didn’t seem to be trying to.
Her silver brows were furrowed. Her arms were crossed, and her normally serene aura had a sharp edge to it. She wasn’t glaring—yet—but her eyes were fixed on Bastet like she was watching a rival move into her territory. She didn’t speak, but there was an unmistakable air of disapproval brewing beneath her silence.
Just like the Moon Valkyrie, the Storm Valkyrie didn’t appreciate Bastet’s antics much at all, best evidenced by her occasional, cute "Hpmh!" sounds.