The Beauty's Hidden Beast

42 - A Masterpiece (1.87k words)

A few days later...

As the night wore on, our bedroom turned into a quiet place for rest.

I lay there, appearing as though I'd just sparred with a tornado. My head found a refuge on Vick's chest, while my legs casually draped over Muir's chest. Completely undisturbed, Curtis drifted off with his head gently resting on my stomach. He lay upside down compared to Muir and Vick. (The position:├┴┤)

I was too tired to care about our state of undress or how we ended up in that position after we had cleaned ourselves. My body was still throbbing and sensitive, making it difficult to ignore the sensations that continued to flow through my nerves, so I just enjoyed the afterglow.

The only one who hadn't joined us was Skaris. He stayed away from our unholy activities, not interested in taking part in any way. He was probably disgusted by all this, and I wouldn't blame him. I would probably be too, if I were in his position.

The room was softly lit by illuminating pearls hanging overhead the round table, casting a gentle glow around him. Even with a blindfold, it felt like he was looking right at me.

"If you can't stand these things, why are you still here?" I whispered.

Skaris said nothing, and for a moment, I thought he would continue staring at me in silence, "My spousal mark wants me to be close to you. Whenever you are gone, my mind keeps telling me to follow you, protect you, and stay as close to you as possible."

"What a hopeless guy," I said, "Do you have any desire other than serving your spousal mark?"

He paused, a shadow crossing his face. "There is one," he replied, his voice darkening with each syllable. "Whenever I think of torturing the females from my village, my heart fills with excitement, and my blood boils. But you expect me to do the exact opposite, which just makes me hate you more. You are my enemy, and yet...my spousal mark still wants me to love you."

Skaris's spousal mark had made him a devoted follower of mine, but his rootless side still maintained a large degree of control over him.

I looked up at the ceiling, my hands running through the soft strands of hair on Curtis's head, "Well, I am glad to know you have other goals other than becoming my personal lap dog."

Skaris let out a dry laugh, "It's impossible not to think about you. Day and night, my mind spins with ways to win your affection. It makes me mad when you ignore my efforts, but I'm bound to keep trying, forced by this mark to persist in winning your heart."

"I want to say that I'm sorry, but I'm not," I admitted, "Maybe if you come to hate me enough, you can ignore the pull of your spousal mark."

Skaris said nothing and remained still for a while. Then, he got up and walked over to where we were. His steps were slow and deliberate, and I could see the inner battle he was going through with his actions. He picked my pillow from the floor.

"Can I sleep here?" he asked, placing the pillow at the free area under Curtis's head.

"No."

"...I will go away, then," Skaris said calmly, slowly returning to the table. My words seemed to weigh more heavily on him than intended, making his wolf ears drop as if he'd heard the worst news, his tail dragging so low it nearly swept the floor. His beastly features were absurdly cute compared to his usually tough-as-nails human features.

"What's that sad look?" I asked, "If you really want to sleep here, then do it. But if it's the spousal mark's influence, then stay away."

He stood in place for a long time. I could see the inner struggle between his spousal mark and his free will, and I hoped his free will would win.