Chapter 227: High Definition Memories

Bzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzzt.

“Ughhh…”

A low groan rolled out of him, followed by another that sounded closer to defeat than protest. Riley’s hand twitched, reaching out toward the annoying vibration that should be somewhere under his pillow.

He tried to turn.

Nothing happened.

“Ngghh…” He gritted his teeth and tried again, giving a few halfhearted tugs to shift his position. His arm barely moved an inch before it hit something warm and unyielding.

Still half-asleep, he gave a confused little whine and attempted to roll to the other side. No luck.

The phone kept buzzing. His body stayed trapped.

Riley frowned in his sleep, brow scrunching as the noise drilled straight into his foggy brain. “Why… can’t I…”

Then, suddenly realizing the world wasn’t cooperating with his usual morning routine, his eyes shot open.

Everything was dark.

Not dim, not shaded—dark.

He blinked once, twice, trying to make sense of it. His forehead brushed against something warm and solid. The faint smell of something fresh filled his nose.

“What the…” he whispered hoarsely.

The poor human, mind still in morning lag, pushed weakly against whatever wall had replaced his side of the bed. His fingers met bare skin. Smooth. Firm. Too warm.

That wasn’t a wall.

His hand froze mid-push.

Wait. That’s… not a pillow.

Right before panic could fully set in, Riley tried to straighten up, and that was when his body protested.

A sharp ache shot up his back, his legs felt heavy, and every muscle seemed to have signed a complaint form overnight.

“???”

What the heck?

His brain finally caught up, connecting pain to memory.

The memories hit like lightning.

Last night. And this morning.

The sounds. The heat. His voice. Kael’s voice. Hands everywhere—his hands, Kael’s hands—all over skin, all over him.

Riley froze, eyes wide in the darkness, his breath catching as the full picture returned to him.

Holy—!

The initially hazy mind of one death-defying mortal went into overdrive.

A dozen scenes flashed through his mind like a film reel he definitely hadn’t signed off on. Every sound, every touch, every moment from last night came rushing back in absurdly vivid detail—okay, maybe his brain was adding a few dramatic filters for effect—but still, it was far too clear for comfort. And of course, his ever-unhelpful mind decided that right now was the perfect time to replay everything in high definition.

The heat. The weight. Those hands. His own traitorous hands.

And the realization hit him like a runaway truck full of embarrassment.

The warm, solid wall in front of him wasn’t a wall at all. It was Kael. The dragon lord. His boss. The same terrifying, impossible being who had somehow become… his boyfriend.

“!!!”

Riley slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide, heart pounding so hard it could probably be heard across the room. The phone alarm had finally gone silent, but his heartbeat had taken over the job of making noise.

“Calm down,” he whispered into his palm, but his body refused to listen. Each thump in his chest felt like a countdown to spontaneous combustion.

Could anyone blame him?

Just yesterday, they were still two people—well, one human and one golden-scaled workplace hazard—constantly trying to get under each other’s skin.

Now?

Now they were in an entirely different kind of relationship. One that apparently involved fewer insults and significantly more… everything else.

Riley squeezed his eyes shut, groaning softly.

To think that not too long ago, he had been trying to resign from this guy. Resign. Escape. Flee into the sunset like a normal, overpaid employee.

And yet here he was, pressed against the same man he’d promised—willingly—to spend the rest of his life with.

Sure, they needed to have a trial for this. But still.

Willingly.

“Whoa…” he muttered under his breath.

Then came the mad blush.

It crept up his neck and flooded his face like a fire spreading out of control. Because as he mentally repeated every ridiculous, panicked thought he’d just had, one horrifying truth sank in—he actually felt giddy.

The same Riley who once considered hiring assassins to get rid of his overbearing dragon boss was now blushing like a teenager because he was in a relationship with that same man.

Unbelievable.

He peeked up at the solid wall of warmth in front of him. It rose and fell slowly, evenly, like nothing in the world could possibly bother it. Riley hesitated, his fingers twitching before he finally reached out to touch it.

Just one poke.

He pressed a finger against Kael’s chest, the warmth instantly seeping into his skin.

“Ah—”

He pulled back as if burned, eyes wide, heart pounding all over again. But his curiosity didn’t stop there. Because before he knew it, his fingers went back—this time more of them—brushing softly against the smooth skin.

His touch became a slow trace, almost reverent, gliding from Kael’s chest up toward his neck. Every ridge of muscle, every steady thump beneath his palm made it harder to breathe.

Then he saw it.

The mark.

Right there, faint but still visible.

Riley blinked, his breath catching. It hadn’t faded.

He knew dragons could heal almost instantly, so for Kael to still have that mark meant only one thing—he was deliberately keeping it.

The thought made something flutter in his chest, something soft and a little dizzying.

As he continued tracing the line of Kael’s collarbone, the arms around him loosened slightly, the grip relaxing. Riley took it as a chance to carefully shimmy backward, just enough to get a bit of air because, honestly, oxygen was starting to feel like a luxury.

He needed space. He needed sanity. He needed—

A breather. Definitely a breather.

Then again, who wouldn’t feel like a teenager in dramatic distress when waking up next to someone like this?

Sure, it wasn’t his first time waking up beside Kael, but it was definitely the first time he didn’t have to be so conscious about where he’d face. He didn’t have to quell his curiosity. And he probably didn’t even have to worry about getting caught staring or accidentally touching.

Or wanting to do more than touch.

So really, who could blame his heart for reacting like this?

Riley’s gaze softened.

Really looks like an angel when he’s just sleeping like this, he thought.

His fingers inched higher, tracing Kael’s jaw. His face followed, leaning closer, slowly, quietly, until he could see every perfect detail.

Those lips looked unfairly soft.

He reached out and gently brushed his fingers against them, his own lips parting as he leaned in—

Bzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzzt.

And the dragon lord’s eyes opened.

Riley froze, finger still pressed against Kael’s lips.

Then came the low voice, smooth and teasing, “Is this a morning lesson?”

“!!!”

Riley’s entire soul tried to jump out of his body. In reality, he barely moved an inch. His limbs refused to function, his heart tripped over itself, and the only thing he managed to do was tremble like a one-man earthquake.

He wanted to disappear. He wanted to rewind time. He wanted to—

His thoughts, however, blanked completely when Kael leaned in and kissed him.

It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t even fair.

Warm lips pressed against his, deep and unhurried, stealing the breath he hadn’t even recovered yet. Riley’s eyes fluttered shut as the kiss grew heavier, the dragon’s hand sliding up his back before pulling him closer.

Their chests touched, and Riley could feel the strength under Kael’s skin, the heat that pulsed like a second heartbeat. He melted into it, his hands instinctively clutching at Kael’s arm while a soft, helpless sound escaped his throat.

“Mmh—”

He moaned against the dragon’s mouth, every nerve ending alive and burning.

But then, something sharp.

Something metallic.

His eyes widened slightly, startled, realizing there was blood. Kael’s.

Kael didn’t stop. Instead, he deepened the kiss, giving what was quite literally a piece of himself.

By the time the final alarm had echoed from somewhere under some pillow, Riley finally remembered.

“Oh… the blood,” he mumbled against Kael’s lips, finally pulling back a little.

The kiss broke. The air between them felt thick and alive.

Riley’s eyes were once again wide, his face a shade of red that would make a strawberry jealous. Kael, on the other hand, looked entirely too composed for someone who had just kissed a mortal senseless.

“Did I open my eyes too early?” Kael asked, voice deceptively calm.

Riley’s mouth dropped open. “You—what—why would you say that?”

But before the mortal’s brain could come up with a compelling argument, Kael’s lips curved slightly. “You forgot about your schedule, didn’t you?”

Riley’s indignation faltered. He swallowed hard. “Okay, maybe a little.”

The dragon’s eyes narrowed slightly, amusement and something else flickering beneath.

“But,” Riley added quickly, “I was a bit preoccupied with my back. No one ever mentioned that part. No wonder those videos were too far from reality. They would never describe how the back would feel after.”

Kael’s expression shifted—half concern, half something that looked a lot like guilt. Riley could practically see the thought forming: Maybe I went too hard.

Before the dragon could comment, Riley raised both hands like a peace offering. “But even if I was preoccupied and a little confused, I didn’t forget my promise about meeting with the guardians.”

Maybe he’d actually been thinking about that a little too much, so he ended up forgetting about how he was still dependent on dragon blood.

He managed a small, awkward smile. “So if you’re fine now… how about actually going to see them?”

Kael stared at him for a long second, then said, “If I had known how effective this could’ve been, I would’ve long dragged you to bed.”

“!”

“What? Hey!” The flustered human yelped before throwing an unsuspecting pillow over to the shrugging dragon.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep