Free Web NovelChapter 27: Episode 027:Even Machines Can Love [UnEdited]
"How do you know I was there?" Knox asked. frёewebηovel.cѳm
He stepped out of the dark shadows and completely into the dim candlelight of the bedroom. He dragged a wooden stool over to the edge of the bed and sat down. He looked genuinely baffled. He was the King of the Nightwhisper Jungle, an apex ambush predator. Nobody ever caught him creeping around in the shadows.
"I could smell you," Rue said flatly.
Knox paused. A dark, furious blush rushed rapidly up his thick neck and spread across his cheeks. He looked away instantly, suddenly finding the blank stone wall incredibly fascinating.
For the first time since he dragged her to this fortress, Knox dropped the loud, arrogant King act entirely. He rested his massive elbows on his knees. He looked down at his own clawed hands.
"I am not trying to be a monster," Knox started. His deep voice was surprisingly quiet. "I have a duty to my territory. My clan needs strong heirs to survive. I had a female before. A long time ago. But I did not manage to breed her."
He looked back up at Rue. The vulnerability in his golden eyes was entirely real.
"She left," he admitted bluntly. "I failed. But you are different. You are highly fertile. I was completely confident that you were going to bear my child."
A bright blue screen popped up directly in front of Rue’s face.
[Side Quest Unlocked: Heal the Panther’s Pride.]
[Reward: 50,000 Life Points.]
Rue stared at the text. I don’t have time for side quests, she thought. She ignored the screen entirely and swiped it away in her mind.
She adjusted little Theron in her arms. The baby was fast asleep, his tiny hands curled into tight fists against her chest.
"Where I come from," Rue said, keeping her voice completely level, "you do not just walk up to a woman and demand a baby."
Knox frowned deeply. "Then how do you secure your bloodline?"
"You build a relationship first," Rue explained. She spoke slowly, treating him like a confused child. "You talk to the person. You learn what they like to eat. You learn what makes them angry. You spend time together. And eventually, if things actually work out, you fall in love."
Knox let out a harsh, barking laugh. He waved a dismissive hand in the air. "There is no such thing as love."
Rue pressed her lips into a thin line.
I used to think that exact same thing, Rue thought.
She did not say that out loud. Instead, she reached out with her uninjured hand. She poked a single, pale finger directly into the centre of Knox’s broad chest.
Knox froze. He stared down at her small finger resting against his dark skin.
"When you start feeling your heart thump for no good reason," Rue told him bluntly. "And when you feel like you would easily sacrifice your own life just to keep that person safe. That is love."
Knox shook his head. He pulled back slightly from her touch, looking highly uncomfortable with the concept.
"I do not think beasts can love," Knox argued. "We possess instincts. We possess territory. We mate for survival. We do not do whatever that is."
Rue just laughed. It was a soft, genuine sound that completely transformed her pale face.
She looked down at little Theron. She gently poked the baby’s soft nose and stuck her tongue out, making a funny face. The baby shifted, letting out a tiny, happy sigh in his sleep.
"Even a machine can love," Rue said quietly.
Knox did not understand her at all. He didn’t know what a machine was. But he watched her play with the small infant. He watched the soft curve of her smile and the bright, clear light in her pink eyes.
A very strange, unfamiliar feeling bloomed in his chest. It was warm and fuzzy. It made his heart beat a little faster for absolutely no logical reason. He stared at her, completely captivated by the quiet domestic sight.
Knox stood up abruptly. The wooden stool scraped loudly against the stone floor. He didn’t say another word. He just turned around and practically fled out of the bedroom.
An hour passed. Rue was incredibly bored.
Her back ached from sitting on the soft pelts for so long. She needed to stretch her legs. Minx had assured her that nobody was allowed to enter the King’s personal quarters. Her room was completely safe. But Rue was a new mother. She wasn’t taking any chances.
She carefully wrapped Theron in a thick fur blanket. She walked to the open doorway and found a young female panther guard stationed right outside in the stone hall.
"I need to take a walk," Rue told the guard. She held out the sleeping baby. "Watch him." freewebnσvel.cѳm
The panther guard’s black eyes widened in absolute shock. "You... you want me to hold him?"
"Yes," Rue said flatly. She gently placed the bundle into the guard’s arms. "If a giant, incredibly angry snake beastman shows up, let him in immediately. He is the father. He will hiss, but he will not hurt the baby."
The guard nodded frantically, holding Theron as if he were made of glass. "Yes, my lady."
Rue nodded. She walked down the long, damp stone corridor. She had no idea where she was going, but she desperately wanted fresh air.
She navigated the massive jungle fortress, doing her absolute best to avoid the heavily populated courtyards. Every time she heard loud, echoing voices or the heavy clash of training weapons, she turned down a completely different path.
Eventually, the dark stone walls gave way to thick, lush green foliage.
Rue stepped out of the fortress and entirely into a secluded section of the Nightwhisper Jungle. The air here was perfectly warm and smelled exactly like fresh rain and blooming flowers. She pushed through a barrier of thick, hanging green vines.
She found herself standing on the edge of a hidden pond.
It was incredibly beautiful. The water was crystal clear, reflecting the bright green leaves of the canopy towering above. Smooth, dark rocks lined the shallow edge. Tiny, silver fish darted rapidly through the water near the grassy bank. It looked completely untouched by the rest of the violent beastworld.
Rue looked down at her white silk dress. It was heavily stained with dried mud from the courtyard steps. It was wrinkled from days of sleeping. She felt gross. She had not taken a proper bath since before Caius fought the hyenas in the swamp.
I need a bath, Rue decided instantly.
She checked her surroundings. The jungle was entirely quiet. There were no guards. There were no arrogant panther kings demanding her attention. It was just her, the quiet trees, and the clear water.
She reached for the top of her dress. She pulled the silk fabric completely over her head and let it drop onto the smooth rocks. She carefully unwrapped the white bandage on her palm and set it aside.
The cool jungle breeze hit her bare skin. It felt absolutely amazing.
She stepped carefully into the pond. The water was perfectly warm, heated by the afternoon sun poking through the thick trees. She waded deeper until the water reached her chest. She dunked her head completely under, scrubbing the sweat and heavy stress out of her silver-white hair.
She broke the surface, gasping for air. She finally felt like she could breathe again. The heavy, suffocating weight of the last ten days washed away in the clear, moving water. She scrubbed her arms, entirely focused on the quiet, peaceful moment.
She didn’t know someone was watching her.
