Chapter 77: His very breath.
Kai’s knuckles gently brushed over Ren’s arm, his touch featherlight yet burning against her skin, cursing every damn thorn for injuring her. "They hurt you, yet you saved them. Had it been me, I’d have whisked you away and set that cursed garden ablaze," he murmured, his gaze roaming her body, meticulously inspecting her injuries as he waited for Gloria to finish preparing the bath.
Ren frowned slightly, a gentle crease forming between her brows, yet his soft touch left trails of heat that chased her pulse into a chaotic rhythm. "Must you always be so brutal?" Her voice was soft, breathless under his touch.
A careless shrug lifted Kai’s shoulders, but his eyes blazed fiercely. "The thought of revenge has crossed my mind repeatedly since I saw you hurt."
She opened her mouth to retort, but Gloria emerged nervously from the bathroom, stealing worried glances at her Queen. Everything had spiraled into chaos the moment Kai left and returned to see they couldn’t watch over her despite his constant instructions.
"Here’s the ointment. Please use it," Gloria said quietly, placing the small jar on a nearby table.
"Thank you, Gloria. You may leave." Ren dismissed her swiftly before Kai’s simmering temper had a chance to explode upon her poor maiden. He blamed everyone for letting Ren step through the shadow portal into the perilous garden.
Kai scooped Ren effortlessly into his arms, igniting her cheeks in scarlet heat. "Husband, I can walk!"
"Oh, can you, my wife?" he teased, smirking as he carried her to the steaming bath. She eyed his clothes, stained with dark splashes.
"You’re hurt too," she whispered softly.