Chapter 263: Chapter 263 Commanding My Pet (1)
(Ember POV)
The word still echoed in my ears. ’Master.’
I blinked at him, sure that I’d misheard. My lips parted, but no sound came out. He had said it without hesitation, as if there was no weight in that single word. His black eyes fixated on me, almost boring a hole through me.
’That was it? No resistance? No fight?’ I had expected rage, maybe even mockery. Instead, there was relief, like he had finally let go of a burden.
My chest tightened, but not with pride. It was confusion. My whole plan had been to throw him off balance, to make him mad knowing how prideful he was. Yet he accepted the role as if he wanted it. ’What is wrong with him?’
I folded my arms, lifting my chin higher, though inside, doubt gnawed at me, and my body throbbed with pain. "That was quick," I muttered.
A faint smile tugged his lips. "Would you rather I resisted?"
That threw me off even more. His voice wasn’t mocking, it was calm... way too calm. He searched my face, and for a moment, it was like he could see through the walls I’d built.
"You..." I forced out a laugh, trying to cover the knot forming in my throat. "You’re amused, aren’t you? Being reduced to a pet and you’re... relieved?"
"Yes," he said simply.
My body went rigid. I had no answer to that. Relief? How could he possibly feel relief? I wanted to shake him, to force the truth out, but then he stepped closer, his voice low.
"I can feel you through the bond," he said. His hand lifted slightly, then fell back to his side. "Your anger, your hate, your pain. If being your pet means I stay close enough to feel that... then so be it."
I swallowed hard. The words stung in ways I hadn’t expected. He wasn’t fighting me, because he thought this would bring him closer? That wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to have control, not... whatever this was.
"You’re insane," I muttered, but my voice wavered.
He tilted his head, still watching me, but then his gaze shifted past me toward the waterfall. "Where are Alaric and Theo?"
The sudden question made me blink. "What?"
’Did he just change the topic? Did giving him a part of me change his way of reasoning?’
"Alaric and Theo." His brows furrowed. "They were with us. Where are they now?"
I froze, my hand twitching by my side. The truth pressed against my tongue, but I swallowed it. ’I forgot about two grown men... oh they are three.’ I mentally facepalmed myself.
"They’re alive," I said flatly. "Somewhere... I don’t know where." I walked towards the river, turning my back on him.
He studied me for a moment, his silence heavy, then nodded slowly. "We should find them."
"You just woke up from being dead," I snapped. "Maybe try standing on your own two feet before you start searching for people."
His lips tugged up faintly. "Then tell me how you did it."
"Did what?"
"How did you split your heart and put it inside me?" His hand brushed his chest lightly, just over where my heart now beat. "I felt it the moment I woke up...."
I stiffened. The memory of that searing pain flashed through me... the tearing of flesh and soul, the unbearable weight that almost broke me. My chest still ached as though the wound were fresh.
"That’s none of your business," I muttered, turning away.
"It is my business," he pressed, his voice sharp but not unkind. "Half of your heart is keeping me alive. You could have died, Aeris. Why?"
I spun on him, heat rushing to my face. "Why? What do you think? You gave yours first, remember? Why should you be the only one allowed to play martyr?"
His jaw tightened. "That’s not an answer."
"It’s the only one you’ll get," I hissed. My fists clenched. I hated how close he was pulling me back into this endless spiral of pain. I hated that his question felt too much like concern.
Silence stretched between us, broken only by the roar of the waterfall. His eyes lingered on me, dark and unreadable, but he didn’t push again. Instead, he glanced up at the moonlit sky.
"We’re far from the battlefield," he said quietly.
’Yes we are, isn’t that obvious?’ I rolled my eyes inwardly.
"Wherever this is... It’s safe for now. We should rest, regain our strength. Then tomorrow, we look for the others." He added.
I stared at him. Even after everything, death, revival, my claim over him... He was still thinking like a king, like a leader, always planning the next move.
"You really don’t get it," I muttered.
"What don’t I get?"
"That you don’t make the decisions anymore." I stepped closer, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You belong to me. You breathe because I allow it. Don’t forget that."
His eyes flickered down at my hand, then back up to me. For a heartbeat, I expected defiance. But instead, he smirked.
"Then tell me, Master," he said softly, the words making my pulse skip. "What do you command?"
My breath caught. The way he said it, with such acceptance, rattled me to the core. I stepped back before he could see the turmoil in my eyes.
"Sleep," I ordered. It was the only word I could force out. "We’ll move when daylight comes."
’No, no, Ember, remember what he did to you the first night you spent with him, you counted grains and you fanned him to bed.’
His smirk softened into something unreadable, maybe even gentle. He didn’t argue. He simply lowered himself onto the grass near the rock where I had laid him earlier, stretching out with a sigh.
For the first time since the battle, he looked almost at peace.
I wrapped my arms around myself, staring at him under the moonlight. ’Why are you so calm about this? Fine, I’ll be just as ruthless as he was.’
"On second thought, I want you to fan me until I fall asleep." I tilted my chin up.