Free Web NovelChapter 72: Chapter 72 Two Can Play Games
Elara’s POV
Silas’s soft ears drooped pathetically. He pressed against me with those puppy-dog eyes, tears appearing right on cue.
Talk about a complete personality flip. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
He’d clearly figured out I wasn’t into being manhandled, so now he was playing the wounded victim card.
Silas had mastered the art of manipulation. The moment he turned on that vulnerable act, my vines automatically softened, wrapping his injury in gentle green healing light.
"Hungry?" I asked.
He nodded and got to his feet.
After pulling on a shirt and letting me heal his wound completely, his entire demeanor shifted back. He braced his hands on either side of the couch, trapping me between his arms with that possessive glint in his eyes. A slow smile spread across his face. "You’re incredible, Elara."
"Such a charmer." I tried to sound irritated, but my eyes kept wandering to his defined chest. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing.
"Move." This was way out of my league—I’d never dealt with someone this bold before. "Si, you’re getting your own room starting now."
I’d cracked his code: pure jealous type. Time for extreme measures.
Silas’s smile widened. "Fine by me. Just make sure you use steel chains. Regular rope won’t cut it."
I flashed him an OK sign. "Perfect. I’ll make sure it’s exactly what you need."
Two can play this game.
Those naughty outfits I bought suddenly make perfect sense. He’s clearly into the same things—saves me the awkward explanation. The pieces I picked out are pretty scandalous, after all.
Just the thought made heat creep up my neck.
"I’m getting the food. Up," I commanded.
"Wrong approach." He tapped his lips expectantly.
I rolled my eyes but kissed him anyway, unable to hide my smile.
This is exactly the energy I want, Dr. Pendragon. Keep it coming.
After the kiss, I had to crawl back through the food slot. The instant I stepped outside Silas’s Territory, Alistair appeared. "Well... this feels like getting caught in the act."
Alistair let out a long sigh. "Elara, you really are something else."
He shook his head helplessly and helped me down. Once all the meals were distributed, Silas emerged fully dressed. Spotting Alistair, he adjusted his glasses, gave a polite nod, and said to me, "Thank you for lunch, Ms. Sterling. Everything looks delicious."
Alistair just stared in stunned silence, his expression clearly conveying his disbelief at Silas’s performance. I caught Silas flashing a subtle, triumphant smirk in response to Alistair’s obvious skepticism.
——
The sanctuary buzzed with flirtatious energy—but the Sterling household was falling apart.
Recently, Cassian had finally retrieved Giselle from some desolate, forgotten planet.
Giselle was a wreck. In just days, she’d produced two clutches of insect spawn. Helena flew into a screaming fit and nearly attacked Cassian herself.
Despite his unpopularity, Cassian remained a Valerion Empire prince.
Before Helena could strike, he cut her off. "All this screaming makes you sound like a caring mother. But we both know you’re just selfish. Your own daughter couldn’t afford a decent drink out here. She needed my connections for opportunities. And now you want to blame me?
"I caused this mess, but I brought her home. Everything else isn’t my problem."
He pushed past Helena and stalked away.
The rescue had been oddly simple. The abandoned asteroid had been crawling with larvae, and his communications officer had detected three B-class males. But when his forces arrived, someone had already decimated them.
Cassian’s pulse quickened at the battle scars carved into the rock—unmistakable traces of plant-based abilities.
Nobody in the Valerion Empire had manifested plant powers in many decades. Finding and recruiting this person would secure his control over the empire’s destiny.
"How dare you!" Helena’s fury burned even hotter than Cassian’s.
"So this is my fault? An imperial noblewoman can’t earn credits—am I supposed to hand them out?"
Helena bellowed, "Track her down. Tear apart every inch of Glimmeraven Port until you find that female. I want her shredded for what she did to Giselle."
But Cassian commanded, "Stop all searches for Si. I want that plant ability user located. And keep it quiet. Don’t alert anyone—especially not Mother."
"She dotes on her youngest. If that failure wasn’t a cursed half-breed, I’d never have had a shot."
"Time to claim what’s rightfully mine."
Rosalind’s words still burned in his memory.
"My father is gorgeous, but beauty means nothing when you’re an unloved concubine."
One of his soldiers asked, "But Your Highness, are we really letting that lowborn female escape after what she did to you?"
