Chapter 294: Episode 292: Can’t Sleep

Roxy could only manage a weak, breathy nod, her eyes fluttering shut as the last lingering tremors of her climax echoed through her tired muscles.

What was she meant to say?

Some dirty talk that would eventually turn her on again?

The nightmare she had was completely erased, replaced by a heavy, liquid warmth that melted her bones.

Torian chuckled, a low, incredibly arrogant sound that bounced off the steamed stone tiles of the bathroom. He stood up, the warm water cascading off his muscular frame.

He reached down and scooped Roxy effortlessly into his arms, lifting her out of the tub. He dried her with care, wrapping her in a thick, fluffy white towel before carrying her back to the bedroom.

Zarek was still deeply asleep in the armchair, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

Torian gently laid Roxy in the center of the massive bed, pulling the thick furs up to her chin. He didn’t bother getting dressed. The White Tiger Alpha climbed into the bed right beside her, pulling her back flush against his chest.

His feral instincts were completely satiated. He had grounded his mate, chased away her terrors, and reaffirmed his absolute claim. Within minutes, exhaustion caught up to him, and Torian fell into a deep, heavy slumber, his breath stirring the hair at the nape of her neck.

Roxy lay perfectly still in the dark, listening to the synchronized, heavy breathing of the two massive Kings in the room.

She was incredibly satisfied. Her body was thoroughly relaxed, and the lingering ache in her core was a pleasant reminder of Torian’s devotion.

But her mind simply refused to shut down.

She felt wide awake. The Manor was perfectly silent, bathed in the pale light of the moon filtering through the heavy drapes, but Roxy couldn’t shake the restless energy humming beneath her skin.

After half an hour of staring at the wooden canopy above, she let out a soft sigh.

Roxy carefully shimmied out of Torian’s loose grip. The White Tiger grunted in his sleep, his hand flexing on the mattress, but he didn’t wake as she slipped out from under the furs. She quietly grabbed a soft, oversized cotton robe from the end of the bed, tying the belt securely around her waist.

Barefoot, Roxy padded silently out of the master bedroom and into the dim, quiet hallway.

The Iron-Wood Manor at night was usually a place of absolute, impenetrable security. Roxy walked past the empty guest rooms, her maternal instincts pulling her instinctively toward the eastern wing of the second floor.

She just wanted to check on the children. She needed to see their chests rising and falling to finally put her lingering anxieties to rest.

She pushed the heavy oak door of the main nursery open. It didn’t make a single sound.

The nursery was a large, sweeping room illuminated by the soft, warm glow of a single magical glade-stone resting on a high shelf. Axel and Onyx were tangled in a massive pile of blankets on the floor, having abandoned their beds entirely to sleep in a protective puppy-pile.

Iris was curled up on her small mattress, her stuffed rabbit clutched tightly to her chest. In the corner, a massive, thick coil of emerald scales rested peacefully on a heated rug, Tanith, sleeping comfortably in her evolved snake form.

She had been sleeping more often like this.

Roxy smiled, her heart swelling with an overwhelming, fierce love. They were safe.

But as her eyes swept across the room, she realized she wasn’t the only one standing watch.

Standing by the large, arched window at the far end of the nursery, bathed in the pale moonlight, was Ren.

The Fox King was still wearing his rumpled clothes from his frantic run back from the eastern dens. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, his broad shoulders slumped in an agonizing defeat.

He was staring out the window at the dense Iron-Wood tree line, completely lost in a heavy, suffocating melancholy. He looked so incredibly sad, so utterly burdened, that it made Roxy’s breath catch in her throat.

He didn’t notice her entering. The usually hyper-alert, terrifyingly perceptive Fox Beastman was entirely consumed by his own dark thoughts.

Roxy stepped fully into the room, her bare feet making absolutely no sound on the thick rugs. She crossed the nursery, moving silently past the sleeping pups, until she was standing directly behind him.

She didn’t say a word. Roxy simply raised her arms, wrapping them gently around his waist from behind. She pressed her cheek flat against the center of his back, right between his shoulder blades, letting her warmth sink into his tense muscles.

Ren went perfectly still.

He instantly recognized the soft, milky scent of her skin and the gentle, grounding pressure of her embrace. A long, shuddering sigh escaped his lips, the profound tension bleeding out of his shoulders as he leaned back slightly into her hold.

Without him even turning around, his massive, bushy red tail acted entirely on its own accord. It swept out from behind him, curling playfully and possessively around her leg. The soft, thick fur brushed teasingly against her bare calf, trailing up to wrap gently around her waist over her robe, pulling her even flush against him.

“Couldn’t sleep, my Queen?” Ren murmured, his voice incredibly low and slightly raspy in the quiet room.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Roxy whispered back, her hands flattening against his stomach. “Why are you in here in the dark, Ren?”

Ren didn’t answer her.

Instead, he turned around within her arms. Roxy looked up, expecting to see his usual, charming trickster smile, or the playful glint in his vibrant green eyes. But she didn’t find either.

His eyes were burning with intensity that completely stole the breath from her lungs. He looked at her as if she were a mirage that was about to vanish into thin air.

Before Roxy could repeat her question, Ren’s large hands came up. One hand tangled fiercely in her dark, messy curls, while the other firmly caught her chin, tilting her head up.

He crashed his lips down against hers.

A rough, starving, and incredibly breathless kiss filled with the urgency of a man who was standing at the edge of the world.

He parted her lips effortlessly, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to devour her taste, completely overriding her senses.

Roxy gasped into his mouth, her hands flying up to grip the lapels of his shirt to steady herself as the sheer force of his passion threatened to knock her off her feet.

Ren didn’t stop. He stepped forward, his body backing her up until her shoulders hit the solid wooden wall of the nursery. He pinned her there, his heavy, muscular frame pressing flush against her from chest to knees.

His kisses turned frantic, trailing hot, wet fire down her jawline to the sensitive skin of her neck, his teeth grazing her collarbone as if he was begging for something he could name it..

He wanted to consume her. He wanted to brand his memory into her skin.

“Ren—wait,” Roxy gasped, completely breathless, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. She twisted her head to the side, breaking the suffocating, fiery seal of his mouth.

Ren froze, his hot breath ghosting heavily over her neck.

“Ren,” Roxy panted, her hands resting flat against his chest, trying to push him back just a fraction so she could think straight. Her skin was flushed, her lips swollen from his desperate assault. “We are in the children’s nursery.”

The words acted like a bucket of ice water.

The frantic, feral haze in Ren’s green eyes shattered. He remembered the sleeping pups just a few feet away.

All the fiery passion, completely drained out of the Fox King.

“Ren?” Roxy whispered, her green eyes wide with genuine, deep concern as she held his saddened gaze. “What’s wrong, Ren?”

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