Free Web NovelChapter 27: Chapter 27 Cold Touch
Elara’s POV
"Return gift!"
A bowl of strawberries and a vine bracelet.
Dorian had been sitting there for ages. The moment he spotted me coming, his tail started wagging frantically—totally dog-like behavior—and he flashed me this huge grin. Before I could even offer him the strawberries and bracelet, he shoved a ring toward me with his paw. The little leopard kept it simple: "Just in case."
Barrett, lurking behind him, let out a chuckle. "Well, if His Highness insists, I won’t argue."
Dorian lifted his paw in a "go for it" motion.
Barrett pulled out this sleek weapon—a compact plasma blade. "Hit this button, and the blade shoots out..." His tone got softer at the end. "Watch yourself. Don’t get hurt."
"Relax. I know what I’m doing."
And I really did. I had to hand it to them—their gifts were spot-on perfect. The system hadn’t exactly hooked me up with a mansion when I got married, but these presents definitely filled that gap.
"Return gift."
Same deal as before. Barrett’s lips curved up as he slid the vine bracelet onto his wolf paw right in front of me. "Thanks, Elara. I’m crazy about it."
Alistair actually had his lights on in his room today. Not wanting to freak me out, he’d grabbed a bedsheet, thrown it over his head, and wrapped himself up like a ghost before positioning himself by the meal slot. Before he could get a word out, I placed the items down and pushed them through.
Alistair just stared.
Looking at the strawberries and vine bracelet in front of him, he managed this pained smile. Whatever. Better skip the smile—probably looked more disturbing than tears.
Good thing he had that bedsheet.
The white fox in Chamber Six was already posted up by the meal slot. When I walked over, he shot to his feet immediately. "Elara, something eating at you?"
I shook my head. "Someone else has issues. Not me."
While I talked, I handed him the strawberries and vine bracelet. Just like with Kaelen, before I could explain anything, Finnian had already grabbed them and slipped them on.
"Thanks, Elara. I absolutely love them."
He smiled sweetly and held out a bracelet. "Return gift."
Finnian’s voice was smooth and warm. Combined with his fox features, he had this gentle, sophisticated vibe—like someone you could actually trust.
"Thanks."
Early afternoon
I still had no clue about the deeper meaning behind this bracelet. Right now, I was treating it like any normal gift exchange.
I had to admit, my first read on him was wrong. He really was gentle and sophisticated—but he was still a fox.
When Silas’s turn came up, I found myself walking faster without thinking. Finnian noticed from the corner of his eye and hesitated slightly, perhaps wondering if my rush was because Silas was in human form.
"Ms. Sterling."
Hmph. You get it.
"Dr. Pendragon..."
Wait???
My voice—why did my voice sound like that?
Elara, what the hell are you doing with your voice?
"Heh."
Silas’s quiet laugh drifted out. He reached up and pushed his glasses up, speaking gently. "Ms. Sterling, your face is bright red. Is this about that phone call from earlier? I wonder if there’s anything I could do to help?" freewebnøvel.coɱ
Playing dumb, are we.
"No."
Even more high-pitched now.
I cringed internally, totally humiliated. Come on. It wasn’t like I’d never seen a guy before. Was this performance really necessary?
I was screaming inside my head, not noticing that Silas had already extended his hand. Just before he made contact, he paused.
"Elara. Thank you."
Silas chuckled softly, then finally reached out and brushed some dust off my cheek, casually clipping something tiny onto my earring.
So cold.
I shivered. This gorgeous rabbit man’s hand was ice-cold. Like something clicked, I suddenly looked up at him, then slowly dropped my gaze.
Careless. He must have circulation problems.
I bolted, hands covering my face. Damn. I finally found one I really wanted, and he had health issues?
The little devil piped up: Cold hands mean bad circulation. Won’t keep you warm in winter, won’t cool you off in summer. Always running to the bathroom. Gets worn out fast.
The little angel fired back: With a face that perfect, who gives a damn about any of that? How can you be so superficial?
I shrugged. Yeah, I’m superficial!!!
Me, Elara.
I can whip up a killer meal, and I can really, really whip up a killer meal!!!
During those endless apocalypse nights, I’d burned through tons of survival manuals. Food and desire were basic human drives. But he had health problems?
I still wanted to mess with him. Brutally. Ruthlessly. Lock him up in an iron cage and see who’s more twisted.
Morals?
What morals?
I didn’t have any morals.
Hold up. Now I did.
With that thought, I spun around and headed back. I peeked through the slot, looking at Silas with this sorry expression. "Dr. Pendragon, do you need my help?"
I wanted to tell him—I knew how to make all kinds of health-boosting drinks.
He’d already figured out what I meant earlier. My stare was way too obvious. Hmph. I’d totally underestimated him.
"Sure."
Silas leaned back, crossing his long legs as he settled on the sofa. His glasses caught the light, so I couldn’t see his eyes right then—but I could feel like the atmosphere around him had suddenly changed.
Hmm... super intense.
"Leave it to me. Guaranteed results."
Finally meeting someone who looked human. I was definitely making this happen.
A woman on a mission—once I locked onto a target, I went full throttle.
Later that afternoon
