Chapter 198: Love Before Looks
The battle with Lady Sayuri left the air charged, yet when it ended, a strange shift fell over the chamber. The once-proud kitsune women, who had watched with narrowed eyes and sly grins, now carried themselves with the grace of attendants rather than challengers. Their once-playful arrogance softened into quiet reverence. They bowed—not deeply, but enough to mark respect—and their voices turned polite when addressing Eros, Amanda, Ngozi, Alexis, and even Violet.
One by one, they guided the group deeper into the cavernous palace. What at first had seemed like nothing but stone and shadows opened up into wonders of design.
Each chamber was a miniature world unto itself. Velvet drapes cascaded from jagged rocks like waterfalls of color. Silk rugs, embroidered with fox-tail patterns, softened the ground beneath their feet. Intricate lanterns glowed with amber fire, filling every corner with a hazy warmth. Even the walls seemed alive, shimmering faintly with runes that pulsed like heartbeats.
The very air hummed with their essence. It was cloying, sweet, almost intoxicating. The scent of foxfire and sakura blossoms lingered, wrapping around lungs and mind, making thoughts slower, heavier. Each breath was like sipping from an unseen cup of wine. The atmosphere carried a constant undercurrent of allure, as though the cave itself had been shaped to seduce.
The "apartments" were no mere lodgings but dens of temptation. Each bed was impossibly wide, piled high with furs so soft they seemed to swallow the body whole. Chests carved of lacquered wood stood in corners, painted with scenes of foxes dancing beneath the moon. Pools of steaming water, framed with smooth black stone, awaited at the back of every chamber, their steam perfumed faintly with oils.
At the moment, Amanda had chosen one of these rooms, her expression sharp with focus as she checked her weapon piece by piece, adjusting its fittings, testing the weight.
Ngozi, however, had insisted on staying closer to Eros. In the bathing pool, her daggers were set aside, and instead, she knelt behind him with a brush in hand, scrubbing his back with careful, deliberate motions. Her touch was precise but strangely tender, each stroke tracing along the curve of his muscles. Her silence spoke more than words, her loyalty was declared not with speech but action.
Amanda, meanwhile, had slipped away to wash herself. She did not linger. The heat of the water still clung to her skin, but she avoided relaxation. She knew too well the man she called husband still owed her punishment, and deep within, she feared the storm of pleasure that would come with it. Her body was not ready—not yet.
So when she finished, she dried swiftly and slipped out. The cave’s chill kissed her damp skin as she rushed back to her quarters. She sat on the edge of the bed, a massive thing piled high with woolly pelts. Their texture was almost too soft, threatening to lull her body into a comfort she resisted.
Then came a knock.
Amanda’s eyes narrowed. This was not a common room—it was Eros’s. One of his women was expected to remain within, and tonight. Instantly, she rose, sliding her mask back onto her face. Her hand drifted close to her weapon as her body tensed.
She opened the door.
To her surprise, it was Alexis.
"Good, I came to see you," Alexis said.
Amanda stiffened. She could not remember the two of them ever being this close. Such an approach from Alexis—of all people—made her pause in guarded surprise.
Amanda’s eyes narrowed into slits, her frown deep and sharp as she hissed, "I owe you nothing." Her hand was already on the door, and with a swift push she tried to shut it.
But Alexis’s hand pressed against the wood, slender fingers firm, refusing to let it close. Her eyes locked onto Amanda’s mask, unwavering. "I insist."
For a moment, Amanda’s irritation flared, the urge to push her blade to this woman’s throat rising like venom. Yet she could see it—Alexis was serious. Not mocking. Not playful. Just... insistent.
With an exasperated sigh, Amanda finally relented, slipping out into the hall and pulling the door closed behind her. And as she did, the muffled sounds carried—breathy gasps, the soft rhythm of flesh meeting water, Ngozi’s voice trembling in pleasure. No doubt, Eros had began with her. The man just had unending stamina. He recently finished Lady Sayuri and here he was pounding ngozi.
Amanda’s chest tightened. A part of her longed to be there, to throw away her fear and join them. But her body still trembled at the thought of what Eros might unleash upon her. She feared him, yes... but not as a coward fears a monster. It was the fear of a worshipper gazing too close at a blazing sun. Too overwhelming. Too consuming.
So instead, she squared her shoulders and decided she would rather face this smaller battle. Alexis.
"Hurry up and say what you want," Amanda spat, her tone sharp, her impatience plain. "I am busy."
But Alexis did not falter. Instead, her voice cut through with a question Amanda had not expected.
"Tell me," Alexis said softly, her eyes studying Amanda as if searching for a secret, "why do you love your husband? The Black Lightning Dragon."
The words struck Amanda like a blade through armor. For a moment, she froze. Beneath her mask, her lips parted slightly in shock, though she quickly sealed them again. Her gaze shifted, uncertain, as if Alexis had peeled away a layer she kept buried deep.
She knew Alexis was speaking of Eros’s alias—Black Lightning Dragon. And with that knowledge came memories, unbidden, vivid as if carved into her bones.
Amanda remembered the first time she had seen him descend upon her enemies, lightning screaming from his body, tearing through steel and scale alike. She had been clutching the wounded arm of one of her naga sisters, helpless as the cave burned around them. And then—he came. A man cloaked in shadows and storm, his blade crackling with that strange black energy. In moments, what had been certain death became salvation.
Her throat tightened. She remembered her sisters crying, clutching her, their voices trembling with thanks. She remembered the way Eros stood at the center of the carnage, not demanding praise, not even looking back to see if they worshipped him. He simply sheathed his blade and walked forward.
Amanda shook her head slowly, trying to bury the warmth that rose in her chest. "Why do you care?" she asked flatly, suspicion dripping from her tone. "What do you plan to do with my answer?"
Alexis’s eyes softened, though her lips curled with that same determined confidence. "Because I want to understand him," she said. "And I think... you do, in a way I don’t."
Amanda folded her arms across her chest, her fingers tightening over her sleeves. She hated this. Hated how her heart was betraying her, racing at the thought of speaking the truth.
"Wait a minute, have you fallen in love with him? Even before seeing his face?"