Chapter 175: War and Love
"You..." she pointed at him as she tried to move to cover her lower body, but the way he was carrying her didn’t even give her that opportunity.
"Yes, me," he spoke innocently as he laid her down. He moved to sit on the bed, resting his back against the bed frame.
Pandora’s face burned as his shirt had now ridden up to her navel.
She moved quickly to cover herself.
"Your head on my lap, love," Raven spoke in a deep whisper. Pandora moved her head to his lap, and now she forgot about everything else. As she adjusted her head, she was curious about his story and didn’t mind learning all about him.
In fact, she looked excited.
"So, what is it you want to know?" Raven asked, his hands resting atop her tummy. Pandora’s lips curled upwards as she spoke, not minding his hands on her stomach at all.
"About your family," she said—and just as she did, she noticed the way Raven paused, his expression briefly turning down. She had seen it, even if it was quick. She recognized that feeling very well, sadness.
"Oh no... don’t tell me if you..." Her breath hitched as his hands slipped under her shirt, now resting atop her bare stomach. A slow curl rested on his pink lips.
"And who said I don’t want to?" he spoke, his eyes glinting. Pandora’s lips parted as she became aware of his hands on her flat tummy. She pressed her lips together, trying to focus.
"Remember, like I said earlier, when I speak, I would keep these hands of mine busy. I hope you don’t mind at all," he said. Her face flushed, but she shook her head. She did not mind—the worst that could happen didn’t matter, as long as he told his story.
"Very well, then." She sucked in her breath lightly as he felt his thumb caress her stomach gently.
"It is a sad story, but don’t worry. I would make you feel good in the sad part," he spoke. She nodded, unaware of the deal she had just made.
"Very good." His other hand moved as she gently pushed her red, silky hair away from her face so he could see her perfect features clearly.
Their gazes locked. Pandora shifted her eyes, he looked so handsome—those sharp jawlines, perfect lips and nose, and those beautiful eyes that reminded her of chocolate.
"My parents died when I was ten," he spoke. Pandora gasped, her face turning worried as she could not imagine how terrifying that must have been for him at such a young age.
"I am sorry," she spoke softly, staring at him with a worried look. But he was calm—so calm that his eyes showed no trace of sadness.
"Raven, that must have been sad. Who told you?" she asked curiously, her heart skipping as his eyes finally locked with hers.
"I witnessed it with my own eyes," he finally said in a flat tone. Pandora’s hands flew to her mouth.
Raven’s lips curled up slightly. She could not believe he was calm—in fact, he was even smiling. She turned more sad, thinking perhaps he was using the smile to cover the pain.
And before she knew it, her body jolted slightly as his hands gently squeezed her breasts. She could not believe this man.
She had been so caught up in his story that she had forgotten his hands had been on her stomach. Her heart raced as shivers ran through her body.
"I told you not to be sad. Now I am making you feel good," he spoke with a wide smile. Pandora stared at him in disbelief. Was this man serious? Yes, he was.
"No, Raven..." His hands moved to her lips, shushing her.
"There is no going back, love. You are already on my territory." His eyes flashed with dark mischief as he spoke.
"I will continue my story, and if you are sad, I will make you feel good. Are you not supposed to be happy, hmm, my love?" Her stomach did that dangerous flip at his words.
"Fine," she said softly, refusing to be sad for him. Raven did not want her to pity him.
As he did not want to appear weak in front of her, his hands moved to her stomach. She looked at him with wide eyes, butterflies dancing through her body.
"B... but I am not sad," she said. She didn’t know if she wanted him to keep touching her—it was like she wanted to be sad but also didn’t. She would now need to be extra cautious.
"I know you are not sad yet, so I will just keep it there... just in case." His eyes finally locked on her black panties.
A slow curl rested on his lips as he turned her gaze back to him. Pandora had not realized her panties were now visible, as she had only been wearing his shirt, which had ridden up further with his hands on her tummy.
Raven continued, his hands not moving from her stomach, and spoke again.
"My parents..." He pulled his hands away, brushing his fingers through his hair backward.
The thing was, he was not the kind to talk about his past. The only person who knew about this was Zavren, and no one else. He had not even told his fellow guard. Now that she had asked, he wanted to tell her—he just wanted her to know, even if it was slightly hard for him.
"Raven, if you are not okay with..." she gasped loudly, not expecting him to move his hands to her nipples atop the cloth. The way he rolled them with his fingers through the shirt felt maddeningly electrifying.
His lips curled into a smile as her body shuddered at the sweet feeling.
"Raven... a... are you trying to distract me?" she asked softly, staring at him.
Raven’s lips curled upward as his finger grazed her lips lightly before gently pinching her soft lips.
"No, sweet. I am trying to distract myself from my past," he finally spoke.
Pandora fell silent, not expecting his words at all. She understood what he was saying and couldn’t help but respect him even more. She could not imagine how traumatizing that must have been, and yet this man had actually witnessed it. Her eyes grew even sadder.
Raven noticed the sadness in her eyes. His thumb brushed her cheeks slightly as he spoke.
"Are you sad?" he asked calmly. Pandora quickly shook her head. She did not want to be sad, yet she could not help it.
"Oh, sweetheart... but why are you lying?" His lips curled up, already showing just how soft her heart was.
The fact that she was feeling so sad about it—even though he had not finished the story—showed her genuine care. He did not want her to cry; she had already endured enough. All he wanted was to see her smile, not to bring her more pain.
"If I leave and not come back for months or weeks, stay here. Be strong. Do not let anyone intimidate you, ever. Is that clear?" he finally spoke in a serious tone. Pandora nodded, even if she was slightly confused by the sudden change in tone.
"Good," he said softly, calming a bit. He did not know if the seer would successfully convince the queen, seeing how determined she had been, so he needed to tell Pandora this. Just in case he was following the queen, it would mean Pandora would be staying alone. The only way for her to prevent trouble was to stand up for herself.
"Raven, are you leaving?" Pandora suddenly asked, curious. She did not like this. It was exactly what her mother had hinted at, though not entirely. She had been told that he would come take her back and visit, but that never happened.
Raven noticed the downward curve of her lips. This woman of his really was a crybaby, and he understood her—she was so softhearted.
"I might leave, but don’t worry. I will be back before you know it," he said. Pandora immediately sat up, not expecting that at all.
"I can come with you," she said, their eyes locking.
Raven could not believe what he had just heard. Did she really know what she had just said earlier? He had been left speechless by the queen’s words, and as if that was not enough, Pandora was just saying it as if the war wasn’t even serious. Did they know how deadly this was? In fact, the probability of death within seconds was high.
"No," he spoke, which surprised Pandora. He was not even sure—maybe the queen might change her mind and he might not go. But what if she didn’t?
"B... but..." Her words were interrupted as he pulled her to him, hugging her. She was now kneeling in between his open legs. She pulled away softly, staring into his brown eyes.
"You cannot go, Pandora. I am going for war—a deadly one at that," he spoke, perhaps hoping that she would understand the seriousness now that she knew.
Pandora’s eyes widened, her lips parted in shock. She had not expected that.
"I don’t mind. I would still come with you," she said.