Chapter 169: Until It Stops

“W—what?!” Riley nearly choked, his voice jumping an octave as he clutched at his top protectively.

Kael’s gaze was completely serious. “I said, strip.”

Riley stared at him like he had just lost his mind. “Sir, this is not the time for—whatever you’re thinking this is!”

Kael’s brows twitched, his voice low and clipped. “It’s for the examination, you pervert. You need to see something so you can adjust your mindset.”

Riley’s face burned crimson. “O-oh.”

Of course it was.

But wait a minute—why was he the pervert?!

“Just take off your shirt and look in the mirror,” Kael barked, his tone brisk but his expression unreadable.

Riley hesitated, but eventually tugged his shirt off, moving stiffly as though the fabric weighed a ton. The air hit his skin, cool and uncomfortable, as he turned to face the mirror.

Only—

Kael was right behind him.

So close that Riley could feel the heat radiating from him, his reflection framed by a broad chest and a pair of golden eyes that towered over him.

But before he could even process the proximity and the unfairness of the gods, Kael muttered dryly, “Get your head out of the gutter. I’ve already seen everything.”

“Wha—?! You—!” Riley sputtered, aghast. His face was now an alarming shade of red, and his hand twitched upward in pure indignation. He fully intended to stomp on Kael’s foot for that remark, forgetting entirely that the man’s everything was harder than stone.

But before he could act on the thought, Kael interrupted, voice low and calm. “Look at yourself.”

“Huh?”

Riley blinked, frowning as he turned back toward the mirror. At first, he didn’t understand what Kael was pointing at. Everything looked the same—pale skin, same frame, and, well, the same bewildered face with the familiar-looking eyes.

But with the bureau covering his legs and the lizard only asking him to take his shirt off, then surely it couldn’t be a problem with his legs, right?

So what was wrong?

Then he noticed Kael’s hand, the way it gestured toward his shoulder.

He leaned closer to the mirror and squinted.

His reflection stared back, and Kael’s figure loomed behind him—tall, golden eyes sharp, and very keen on looking at something particular. Riley’s bare shoulder caught the light, and for a moment, it looked perfectly normal.

Until Kael’s fingers tapped just below the shoulder blade.

“W-wait—what are you—”

Riley turned his head, rotating his shoulder experimentally. It felt fine. No pain, no stiffness. But Kael rolled his eyes, exasperated, and reached forward again, tapping more firmly at the spot.

That was when Riley finally saw it.

Or rather, what wasn’t there.

He froze.

The sigil.

What the?!

Come to think of it, for a while now, his shoulder hadn’t looked that bare!

The familiar, faintly glowing mark that had always been there was gone. Or apparently, almost gone.

He took a shaky step back and promptly hit Kael’s chest. The sound of contact broke the silence.

“S-sir,” Riley stammered, “the sigil? Is it gone?!”

Kael shook his head slightly. “No. Not entirely, at least.”

He gestured toward the lower part of Riley’s shoulder, where faint remnants of markings still lingered. It was barely visible, almost like scars that were fading with time.

Definitely not how he remembered it before passing out!

“It wasn’t like this days ago,” Kael said, his tone grave. “But at one point, it started fading like this.”

Riley’s mind blanked out for a moment as he tried remembering what they had researched on the sigil. For something that was supposed to be a permanent branding, just what happened to it?

He even thought that maybe the golden lizard got fed up and actually figured out a way to—

“I didn’t strip you of the mark,” the dragon said dryly, cutting through his thoughts. “So stop looking at me like I did that.”

Kael didn’t even have to hear it, but for some reason, he was just sure those brows were furrowed because that twig once again thought of the oddest things.

Riley flinched, realizing he’d been glaring at the man’s reflection with suspicion.

“But with each passing day it’s getting fainter and fainter,” Kael continued, his voice steady but heavy. “And I heard you when you said you wanted to put things off. But think about it carefully and decide soon. Without the sigil’s protection, how are you going to defend yourself? If the information unearthed by my father is correct, then this won’t end with one kidnapping attempt.”

Riley’s stomach twisted. “B-but earlier—the flame! If you’re saying that wasn’t you, then how? If the sigil is fading, then…”

Kael gave him a long, flat stare, one that practically said, See? Exactly the problem.

Riley groaned, already feeling a headache coming on. Because yes, of course, this was a big problem.

He survived the last incident because of the sigil. Without it, what was he supposed to rely on now? Would the Guardian Heartstone be enough?

And yet… wasn’t it a good thing that the mark was fading? That the dangerous connection between them could actually disappear like this?

As for that spark—if the sigil was fading, would that mean he might lose control again? Would he just start setting things on fire whenever his emotions spiked?

Then once it was gone completely… what would happen to him?

To them?

His thoughts spiraled so fast that he didn’t notice his breathing change until the sudden pain hit him.

“Ah—!”

Riley’s eyes widened as a sharp, crushing pain tore through his chest like someone had reached in and was splitting it open from the inside. His hand shot up instinctively, clutching his shirt over his heart.

Kael was there immediately, holding him steady, one arm wrapped around him while the other reached for the phone in his pocket.

“Just shy of ten minutes,” Kael muttered, clicking his tongue like that somehow explained anything.

“I-I think something’s wrong!” Riley gasped, his voice breaking from the strain.

“Mmph!”

The sound barely registered before Riley’s words were swallowed entirely.

His eyes widened, heart stuttering in shock as he found himself suddenly lifted—hauled up like he weighed nothing—and set on top of the dresser. His back hit the mirror lightly, and then—

Warmth. Pressure.

Kael’s mouth was on his.

Riley froze, too stunned to react. His mind went blank, chest still aching, but the pain was suddenly competing with something else entirely.

The dragon’s lips moved against his, firm and unrelenting, and then—

A taste.

Metallic, rich, and warm.

It flooded his senses all at once.

Blood.

Riley’s mind screamed Pull away, but his body didn’t listen. The moment the taste of Kael’s blood hit his tongue, his heart thundered violently in his chest. Every vein, every nerve, seemed to surge with heat, and the pain in his chest dulled instantly—just enough for him to breathe again.

Kael pulled back only slightly, their lips barely apart, breaths mixing. His voice was low, rough, and dangerously close.

“Take what you need,” he said. “Until it stops.”

Riley’s pupils dilated. “Wh—what are you—”

But the pain spiked again, sharp enough to make him gasp. His fingers curled into the dragon’s shirt, trembling, and before he could say anything else—

“Mphf!”

Kael kissed him again.

This time, it wasn’t tentative. It was deep, consuming, and desperate. But most of all, it was generous. Laden with sacrifice, as Kael continued to give his twig blood.

Riley’s back hit the mirror, but the dragon lord’s arms were already there—one behind his waist, the other behind his head.

The mass of hard wall pressed in closer, standing between his legs, keeping him steady. His body trembled as the warmth of Kael’s blood spread through him, the ache in his chest fading with every swallow, every breathless kiss that followed.

He didn’t even realize when his hands moved—grabbing at Kael’s shoulders, his neck, pulling him closer, like someone reaching for water in the middle of a desert.

“Hnn!”

Kael’s hand slid up his back, steadying him, while the other wrapped around the back of his neck, guiding him closer, as though proximity alone could help the transfer.

Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t—but at that moment, Riley felt as though it wouldn’t work if they weren’t close enough.

Riley could feel the dragon’s heartbeat against his chest, strong and surprisingly as wild as his. Every time his heart squeezed, his body begged for more, clawing instinctively for the source of relief. His arms tightened around the golden dragon’s neck, pulling him closer until their chests pressed together.

Kael’s breath came heavier now, the taste of iron and heat lingering between them. He wasn’t sure where the desperation ended—whether it was his or Riley’s. All he knew was that the human in his arms trembled every time they parted, so he didn’t let it last long.

Their movements turned frantic, all fire and instinct. Riley gasped softly between breaths, gripping that shirt tight enough to wrinkle the fabric, his body arching toward the only thing that made the pain stop.

Kael’s hand slid to the small of Riley’s back, pulling him forward again. Their lips met once more, hot and breathless, until Riley couldn’t tell if the trembling in his body came from pain, relief, or something dangerously in between.

The sound of their uneven breathing filled the room. The mirror behind him caught their reflection—the dragon lord towering over him, his golden eyes glowing faintly, and Riley, disheveled and flushed, clutching the dragon like he was the only thing keeping him alive.

For all intents and purposes, maybe he really was.

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