Chapter 71: Right in front of me?

A freezing hand reached over, resting gently against her chest right through the soft fluff of the sleeping bag. It pressed precisely over the spot corresponding to her heart—right opposite where Ray had bitten her earlobe earlier.

"Stop pretending," Ace chuckled softly in a low, raspy murmur.

May held her breath, refusing to move a muscle. His slender fingers slid gradually down the edge of the sleeping bag, coming to rest at the curve of her waist.

"Ray just left... and you’re ignoring me already?"

When Theo opened his eyes, Ace was crouching beside May’s bedding. The fire had burned low, casting flickers of amber light across one side of Ace’s face. Without glancing back at Theo, his fingers lightly trailed the zipper of her sleeping bag, slowly drifting downward.

"Ace," Theo called out softly.

Ace didn’t turn around, the same gentle smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. "Why aren’t you asleep yet?"

"Can’t sleep," Theo adjusted his glasses, the firelight gleaming off the lenses. "Keep your hand away from her."

Ace’s fingers paused—holding still for two long seconds before he calmly pulled back. Standing up, he brushed away non-existent dust from his knees and turned to face Theo.

The two men locked eyes, separated by a distance of barely three paces.

"Are you afraid of what I might do, Theo? Or are you worried about how Ray will react if he finds out? Or... is there something you want to do?" Ace asked, smiling pleasantly.

"I’m afraid that if you do anything, she won’t be happy," Theo replied, deftly twirling his scalpel between his fingers as the blade caught the firelight.

You really think you’re going to get a taste first? Right in front of me?

"You’re right," Ace nodded, his eyes curving into fine crescents. "In that case, I’ll step outside to use the restroom. Get some rest, bro."

With that, he glided out.

Theo stared in the direction he left for five full seconds before retracting his gaze, leaning back against the pillar, and closing his eyes again.

Not another good opportunity...

The campfire crackled, and silence settled over the auditorium for roughly fifteen minutes. Alex was huddled in the corner hugging his knees, his head nodding rhythmically as he dozed off with steady breaths. Theo’s breathing had also evened out, making him seem fast asleep.

A gust of icy wind seeped beneath the door frame, bringing fine flecks of snow with it.

Then came the returning footsteps.

Ace slipped back inside through the door gap, carrying the arctic chill of the wasteland with him. His eyes shone with an unnatural luminescence in the firelight as he walked straight over to May’s bedroll and crouched down.

In truth, May hadn’t fallen asleep at all. She buried her face deeper into her sleeping bag, keeping her eyes shut tight and forcing her breathing to remain long and steady.

It was useless.

An icy hand slipped inside the collar of her sleeping bag, long fingers gently lifting her chin. May shivered, her eyelids snapping open involuntarily.

Ace hovered directly above her, less than a fist’s distance away.

The warm glow of the fire lit one side of his face with gentle, jade-like perfection, complete with a tender smile. The other half was buried in shadow, his eyes burning like dark, smoldering embers that made her skin crawl.

"Sister-in-law," he whispered in a raspy voice, his warm breath fanning against her cheek. "Why play dead? Your heart is beating so fast I can feel it right through the sleeping bag."

May choked back a gasp as his distinct, cool fragrance washed over her, wrapping around her senses like creeping vines.

"What.. what are you doing?" May stammered, striving to keep her tone steady.

"Nothing at all," Ace’s fingers didn’t loosen; instead, he pushed upward slightly, his thumb lightly brushing across her lower lip. "I just wanted to have a chat with you."

"You don’t need to peel open my sleeping bag just to chat!"

"I hear you much better this way."

May was entirely rendered speechless.

Ace let out a soft laugh. His hand trailed down from her chin to the side of her neck, his thumb pressing gently against her racing carotid artery, feeling the rapid, rhythmic thrumming beneath her skin.

"Sister-in-law... earlier in the vehicle, you complimented Mitch’s size," he whispered softly. "I wasn’t very happy about that."

May’s mind raced at breakneck speed. That was that absurd system forcing me to speak from the heart! How was I supposed to know praising someone’s size would land me in this mess?!

"Th-That was a requirement! I don’t have any actual thoughts about Mitch’s build!" May squeaked in sheer desperation, her tone shifting entirely.

"Is that so?" Ace’s finger lingered in the hollow of her collarbone, pressing down with deliberate softness. "Then... does Sister-in-law have any thoughts about mine?"

May remained dead silent.

She was utterly terrified to answer. If she said yes, this unhinged man might devour her on the spot; if she said no, that terrifyingly sweet smile on his face would only grow worse.

Ace waited three seconds, unbothered by her silence. He leaned closer until the tip of his nose nearly grazed hers.

"You saved my life," his voice transformed from smooth and gentle to a deep, gravelly rasp, sounding as though something was grinding in his throat. "My life belongs to you. That breath of medicine... fed straight from your lips... was sweet. I won’t ever forget that taste for the rest of my life."

May’s back hit the cold wall behind her. She hadn’t even realized how far she had backed up into the corner, but now there was nowhere left to retreat.

Ace pressed forward through his thin shirt, eclipsing her completely beneath his shadow.

"Why did you let him have a taste first?" he asked directly.

The question was so blunt it made May’s head ring. "What... what taste?!"

"You know exactly what I mean, May." Ace’s lips brushed past her ear, his breath hot against her earlobe, causing her to flinch. "Ray’s mark is still visible on your collarbone. He got his taste first... which leaves me only smelling the lingering scent."