Chapter 182: Mio’s Cheeky Plan
Damon’s hand fell from the hilt of the Chaos Devourer as the temple’s true layout revealed itself to him.
The main hall stretched into three separate corridors, each lined with ancient carvings and fading runes that pulsed with residual energy.
"This place should holds treasures," Seraphina said, stepping closer to examine the nearest wall. "Cultivation pills, techniques, maybe even weapons."
Ariel drifted toward the left corridor, her dark blue hair spilling over her shoulder as she leaned forward to peer into the shadows beyond the threshold.
"We should split up," she said, glancing back at the group.
"Cover more ground. We’ll find whatever is hidden here faster if we each take a passage."
Mia gave a quiet nod, her deep purple hair framing her face as her gaze drifted toward the center corridor.
She was already studying it with that calm, measured focus of hers, eyes tracing the carved stonework and the faint lines of residual energy that threaded between the runes like veins beneath skin.
"I’ll take the center path," she murmured.
"I’ll go right," Mio said.
Too quickly.
The words had barely left Ariel’s mouth before Mio was already turning toward the right corridor, her ponytail swinging with the movement.
There was nothing subtle about it.
Damon caught the eager glint in her purple eyes, the way they had flicked toward him a half-second before she spoke, bright and full of intent she hadn’t bothered to conceal.
She was already moving toward the right corridor, her ponytail swaying behind her.
"I’ll go with Mio," Damon said.
Ariel raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Seraphina’s lips curved into a knowing smile.
"Don’t take too long," Ariel said. She grabbed Seraphina’s hand and pulled her toward the left corridor.
"We’ll meet back here in an hour."
Mia was already disappearing into the center passage, her shadow swallowing her form as she moved.
Damon turned and followed Mio into the right corridor.
The passage narrowed quickly. The walls closed in until they could only walk side by side.
Dim blue light pulsed from the runes overhead, casting long shadows across the stone floor.
Mio stayed close.
Her arm brushed against his. Then her shoulder. Then her breast pressed against his arm as she walked.
Damon said nothing.
She did it again. Slower this time. Her soft flesh molded against his arm as she leaned into him.
"Mio."
She tilted her head up at him, her wide purple eyes blinking with an expression of such practiced, guileless innocence that it was almost impressive.
"You’re doing that on purpose."
"Doing what?" She pressed closer, her breast flattening against his arm. "I’m just walking."
The corridor opened into a small room.
Stone shelves lined the walls, filled with dusty jade bottles and rolled scrolls.
A cultivation mat sat in the center, untouched for centuries.
Mio stopped walking. She turned to face him, her body inches from his.
"Alone at last," she said.
Damon looked at her. Her purple eyes were bright, her lips parted slightly. She was breathing faster than normal.
"You’ve been clingy since we stepped inside this ruin," he said, his golden eyes holding hers with calm certainty.
"I have not." Her chin lifted slightly, a reflex of wounded dignity.
"You have." He stepped closer, closing the already narrow gap between them until she had nowhere to retreat.
"Every corridor, every passage. You’ve been pressing yourself against me the entire way here. Your shoulder. Your arm. Your chest." His voice was unhurried, almost amused.
"Deliberately."
Mio’s cheeks flooded with colour, a deep rose bloom that spread to the tips of her ears.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. For once, she had no clever deflection waiting behind her lips.
She didn’t deny it.
"I wanted your attention," she said.
"Mia already got her alone time with you. Ariel gets you every night. I never get you to myself."
Damon’s hand moved to her waist.
"Is that so?"
"Yes." She pressed closer, her breasts pushing against his chest.
"I want you, Damon. Just me. No one else watching. No one else waiting for their turn."
He grabbed her ass.
Mio gasped.
Her eyes widened, then darkened with desire.
"Do you really want it?" Damon asked.
"Right here?"
Mio laughed. \It was a breathless sound, filled with anticipation.
She moved her hand down his chest, past his stomach, until her fingers found his groin.
"Yes," she breathed, her fingers pressing against him with unmistakable intent, feeling him stir beneath the fabric of his robes.
Her purple eyes darkened, a hunger there that she wasn’t bothering to conceal anymore.
"I want it alone with you. Just the two of us." She squeezed more deliberately, watching his face for a reaction.
"I never get you to myself. Not once. No interruptions, no one waiting outside the door, no shared moments." She tilted her head, letting her lips brush the line of his jaw.
"I want all of your attention. Only mine."
Damon’s golden eyes studied her face.
Her desire was written plainly across every inch of her face, unmistakable and unguarded in a way that Mio rarely allowed herself to be.
The careful composure she usually wore — that bright, confident mask of the cheerful big sister — had crumbled entirely, replaced by something rawer and far more honest.
Her lips were parted, her pink-painted mouth catching soft, uneven breaths that came faster than she could control.
The way her chest rose and fell against him, the warm weight of her pressing insistently into his body, spoke louder than any of the words she had said.
Her deep purple eyes, normally so vivid and alive with teasing energy, had gone dark and heavy-lidded, the pupils blown wide until almost nothing remained of their usual bright color.
Her hands had stilled against him, no longer moving with playful deliberation but simply gripping, fingers curling into the fabric of his robes as though she needed something solid to hold onto.
Her whole body leaned into his with a hungry, barely restrained urgency, hips pressing forward, thighs brushing his, warmth radiating through the thin layers between them.
"Then let’s not waste time."
Mio’s smile was radiant.
